


The Afterlife

by Golden_Fleece



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Demigods dealing with ptsd I guess, F/F, F/M, Feels, Future Fic, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Minor Character Death, Not Canon Compliant - The Trials of Apollo, Post-The Heroes of Olympus, Sorry Not Sorry, The end we wanted, as always, demigods dealing with childhood trauma, otherwise canon compliant, the gods are jerks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 57
Words: 86,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Fleece/pseuds/Golden_Fleece
Summary: Twelve years after the war against Gaia, the Seven of the Prophecy and their friends settled down, studied, took on new jobs and started families. However, when young demigods start to go missing and that prophecies stop being made, the lives that the Seven built are menaced. The demigods have to unite again to fight an enemy they never thought they would have to face…This fanfic is written as a follow-up to the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The first chapters of this story were written in 2015, before the publication of the Trials of Apollo series. Therefore, the story was planned without the events of ToA, this series making most of the events of this fanfic impossible. So, everything is cannon as of the HoO series, but not as of the ToA series.***Do not read if you haven't finished Rick Riordan's Blood Of Olympus!***
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 25
Kudos: 47





	1. The Sink Incident

~Percy~

That morning, I woke up with a kiss on my cheek. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Annabeth, looking at me with a bright smile. A dim light was coming through the blue curtain of the room.

"Whyyyy?" I protested. "It's been months since I could sleep a whole night! Why do you wake me up so early?

Annabeth's smile grew wider.

"It's the big day, Seaweed Brain. Remember? The wedding..."

Oh yes! I remember now! It was the wedding of our two friends, Frank and Hazel, and we hadn't bought a gift yet. We had so much left to do before the ceremony, I didn't think that a few hours were going to be enough.

Suddenly, I heard a loud BOOM!

"Moooooommy!!!!!!"

Annabeth ran down the stairs. Something happened with our children, and she needed to be quick before the drama started. I got up with difficulty, and without taking the time to put a shirt on, I exited the bedroom to see what had happened. Still sleepy, I didn't see the toy left at the top of the stairs, so I stepped on it. I lost my balance and I fell down the stairs on the butt.

Annabeth was in the kitchen and saw my magnificent fall. She was holding in her arms our daughter, Silena. Her hair was black like mine, but she had Annabeth's stormy grey eyes, shining with intelligence despite her young age. She wore a little blue and green dress, which was mysteriously all wet.

"I can't take care of two children, do you think I can handle a third one?" Annabeth asked with a wink.

"Daddy hurt?" asked Silena, removing black wet hair from her eyes. She was genuinely worried about me.

"No, Silena, Daddy's not hurt." I reached my daughter and lightly kissed her forehead. She stretched her arms, wanting me to hold her. Annabeth let her go, and my daughter hugged me tightly. Silena was drenched. Her dress was darker than usual and her hair was still dripping.

"What happened, my love?" I asked my daughter. She looked at me with her wide eyes. She took a deep breath and started explaining her story.

"Me wanted to be like you, Daddy!" She threw her arms in the air. "Me wanted to control the waaaater! But then the sink went KABOOM and now there is water EVERYWHERE!" Silena laughed and hid her face with her tiny hands.

I gave another kiss to my daughter. I put her on the floor and she left, running somewhere, hopefully not to another sink... I turned to Annabeth and hugged her. I was no longer sleepy, since my bad luck on the stairs, and now the sink.

The sink...

There was water everywhere in the kitchen. Without letting Annabeth go, I dried the floor, thanks to my power with water. Being a son of Poseidon really helps, sometimes.

So my daughter had my powers. It wasn't the first time that she used them, though. She was only a few months old when we realized it. Annabeth was trying to give her a bath, but Silena's hair remained dry. I was so proud of her!

"Mom and Dad are kissing! Gross!"

I rolled my eyes. My seven-year-old son, Luke, ran away as soon as I looked at him. We had a hard time finding a name for a son. We knew we wanted to name our first daughter Silena, after Silena Beauregard, a courageous daughter of Aphrodite who died a hero. But a boy?

"Luke," Annabeth had blurted out. "Let's call him Luke."

There was a painful story behind this name, but we wanted to give it a second chance. Luke was born blonde, like Annabeth.

I ran after my son, holding Annabeth's hand, and caught him rapidly. I held him in my arms, and he tried to escape. He was tall for a boy of his age and stronger than the others. However, he wasn't drawn by any kind of sports. He preferred to read in his room, or to play with his little sister.

"Yes, I kiss Mom sometimes, because I love her," I said, kissing Annabeth's hand.

"Dad!" Luke protested.

I hugged him a little bit more, then I went back upstairs to get dressed. When I came back, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and was happy to see Leo, one of my best friends. He was with Calypso, his girlfriend. They were both smiling, holding each other's hands. I let them come in and my children ran to them.

"Uncle Leo! Aunt Calypso!"

"Do you have a gift, Uncle Leo? Also, my mini dragon broke. Can you fix it?"

Leo laughed, hugging Luke and Silena. Calypso was still awkwardly waiting by the door. She left her island twelve years ago, but she still had trouble catching up with today's world. Calypso and I exchanged a glance, the same we always shared since she came back. I didn't remember if we really talked when she came back with Festus. But with one glance we understood each other. I was apologizing and she was forgiving me. On the other hand, I had paid dearly after having forgotten Calypso when I was in Tartarus, and Annabeth had to suffer what Calypso had suffered. I tried to forget this painful memory, now that Calypso was free and happy with Leo.

Calypso lit up when she saw the kids. But Leo lit up literally. My daughter shouted that his nose was on fire.

"It's okay, it happens all the time!" Leo laughed.

Silena was really enjoying herself. She was already telling Leo her adventure with the sink while Luke lead Calypso to the living room, where he had created a train station. I was happy to see my children so carefree. I couldn't imagine them living what I had been through when I was a teenager. Fighting monsters and evil goddesses, seeing my friends die, fighting for my own life... For now, we were safe in New-Rome. However, I always had a bitter taste in my mouth thinking about my children, who would probably have to train and fight the same monsters I had to fight when I was a teenager. For now, at least, we could protect them and they didn't have to feel like outsiders at school since every kid in their classes had ADHD.

Annabeth put a hand on my shoulder. She knew what I was thinking about, and I saw that she was relieved, too.

"Ready to go?" She asked. I nodded.

I said good-bye to Luke and Silena, urging them to be kind with Leo and Calypso, but they were already amazed by the gifts Leo had brought. Annabeth and I needed to find a gift for the wedding, and quickly.

Our house was in a calm street in New Rome. A lot of young families like ours found a place to live in our neighbourhood. There were often little kids running in the streets and young couples taking a walk during hot summer days. Since the war against Gaea, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were closer. There were no more tensions between the camps, and they were both open to all demigods, no matter if their godly parent was Greek or Roman. With their families, they had a home anywhere and felt safe and accepted. All this thanks to Jason Grace.

Jason was doing the trip between the two camps every month. He invited the campers at Camp Half-Blood to visit Camp Jupiter for a summer and even go to college there. That's what Annabeth and I did. Through the years, the camps moved to make it easier for the half-bloods to do the trip. Camp Jupiter was now closer to Long Island, to make it faster to travel to Europe, where more and more quests took place. It was almost like one big camp where Greeks and Romans blended their culture.

There were many shops in New Rome, and I was sure to find something for Frank and Hazel. We entered a small shop selling antiquities. There were old clocks, small wooden sculptures and paintings. Annabeth and I wandered in the shop, commenting on every item sold and taking notes for further gifts.

It took us a few minutes to find the perfect gift for Hazel and Frank...


	2. Last Minute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Thank you so much for your support! We are very happy to be writing this story, and we are happy to see that you are enjoying it too! It is a work in progress, but we planned every chapter until the end, so stay tuned for the rest! We will try to post something every day. 
> 
> We would be very happy to know what you think of the story! What are your theories about what’s going to happen? Which one is your favourite character? We can’t wait to read you! 
> 
> Enjoy and stay safe.
> 
> Emma & Calliope

~Hazel~

Piper was seated beside me on one of the beds of the biggest hotel in New Rome. I couldn't keep in my excitation. I was going to get married! I knew Frank for almost 10 years. Piper had come to help me to get dressed and to do my hair, but for a daughter of Aphrodite, she didn't know much. However, to my opinion, I looked gorgeous. After the war, Piper had stayed one of my closest friends. Don't get me wrong, I loved Annabeth too, but I was closer to Piper since we continued to train together after the war, and Annabeth was busy for a moment to catch up with Percy.

While Piper did my hair, we talked about everything and nothing at the same time. She reminded me many times to stay still. I was seating in front of a mirror that went from ceiling to floor. I looked at my reflection, admiring my dress. It was plain white, with sleeves to the elbows. On the sleeve, pearls were sewn in a delicate pattern. On my neck, I wore a silver necklace with a single white pearl.

Piper finished my hairdo. My hair was pulled up with silver pins with pearls, like the great Greek queens used to wear. I insisted that I didn't want any gold or precious stones on me for my wedding, even if it would have been perfect with my dark skin.

There was only one hour left before the event I would remember all my life. It was probably the most exciting moment since the battle against Gaia. But it was a different excitement. On the day where we fought Gaia, it was anxiety. We weren't sure if we would see the sun rising the next morning. Today, it was a pleasant squeeze at the heart. In both situations, though, there were butterflies in my stomach.

"What do you think?" asked Piper, taking a few steps away to look at me from different angles.

Piper had taken her work so seriously that she had frowned during the entire process. She was now massaging her forehead. I laughed.

"It's perfect!"

~Annabeth ~

Percy is so clumsy. Once again, by his fault, we would be late. I couldn't allow myself to be late at my friends' wedding, especially when I was a bridesmaid. However, I couldn't blame it on Percy, because he always flashed the same smile and looked so sorry that I always forgave him. This aside, we still had to run. Luke refused to put on the nice shirt we had bought for him and Silena didn't stop removing the bow in her hair. Our children didn't seem to collaborate for this special event. I thought we lectured them enough about the importance of this day for uncle Frank and aunt Hazel.

Finally arrived at the hotel, we tried to avoid getting attention on us. We entered the room without making any noise, walking the closest to the wall to go incognito. There were a lot of guests. Since Gaia's defeat, we were famous. A statue of the Seven even was erected. Percy and Jason became living legends. Obviously, the entire city wished to attend Frank and Hazel's wedding. Percy didn't deal so well with celebrity and instead preferred to give conferences to mortals rather than helping manage the two camps. The other demigods from the prophecy also lived their lives trying to forget their past.

Soon enough I noticed the stairs, and, waving at Percy and my children, I got up, taking the stairs four at a time to find my two best friends.

~Percy~

At last, I could rest. As soon as Annabeth went upstairs, the children had run to join the other children seated around Leo. He was telling one of his famous stories. His favourite one was the one in which he met Calypso, but today he was telling an old story about the Argo II. Since nobody recognized me, I decided to blend in and listen to conversations. Because of my work (I did conferences on the importance of protecting the sea), I wasn't in New Rome as much as I wished.

"This recipe is excellent! You should try it!"

"She was so surprised with her gift that she-"

"You heard about the disappearances right?"

This last conversation interested me. I stopped and listened to them.

"Yeah! It's horrible, isn't it? And I heard that this team wasn't the first one..."

"Really? It wasn't in the news, though."

"They would try to hide such news, don't you think? Already more than 10 demigods are gone-"

At this moment, Tyson lifted me up in his arms, almost leaving me with a few broken ribs.

"Percy! Long time no see! Look, she came for Frank and Hazel's wedding!"

Ella was hiding behind Tyson, who became really tall, with the years. We could see him from far away, and it was very important that he didn't seat in the front row for the ceremony. Forgetting what I had just heard, I followed Tyson who lead me to my other friends.

After a few minutes, Ella finally decided to meet the other guests. However, she stayed very close to Tyson, holding his hand very tight. Her face was so red, it matched with her feathers.

It was Grover's turn to surprise me from behind.

"Percy!"

"My man!"

I hugged him. Grover, even after all those years, remained my best friend. Even if I didn't see him as often as before, we still called each other to catch up. Also, because of my work, I had to give conferences about protecting the oceans, so Grover and I worked towards the same cause. It felt so good to see him again, and also see all my other friends who had such busy lives.

I looked around. Everyone was there, except two...

~Nico~

"I'm not going."

"Nico, it's your sister's wedding! You're an adult now. Get dressed, I'm waiting for you in the kitchen. Be quick, we'll be late."

I sighed. Gods. Will was right, once again. I got up and put my black suit that I bought just for this occasion. I met Will in the kitchen and he handed me a cup of coffee. He had a mischievous smile on.

"What?" I asked, already fed up with his attitude.

"Nothing."

I knit my eyebrows. There was something going on. I glanced at the clock and noticed we were running late because we overslept. Will and I ran in the almost-deserted streets of New Rome. The more we got close to the hotel, the more I grew nervous. I didn't like to be with a lot of people.

"Come."

Will took my hand (urgh) and led me in the crowd. We found Percy, Tyson, Ella, Leo, Calypso and Jason. I felt a little better since these were faces I knew. However, I couldn't wait to be out of here.


	3. The Wedding

~Frank~

All my friends, all the guests were seated in the great room of the hotel. I was waiting for Hazel, my future wife, the love of my life, to enter the room. I was starting to get nervous. Jason, my best man, noticed my nervousness and subtlety gave me a thumbs up.

Reyna was waiting, too. As a praetor, she had the power to marry two people, like a mayor in any normal city. I remembered the day where I asked her to be my wife like it had been yesterday. We had walked on the beach for two hours after a supper at a fancy restaurant. When we came home, I got on a knee, a ring in hand.

The doors flew open and Hazel entered the room, more beautiful than ever. Her white smile seemed brighter than any light. I know it sounds cheesy, but it was true. She held a bouquet of white flowers in her hands. She was looking directly at me, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. Annabeth was following Hazel, holding her veil.

I can't remember a lot about the ceremony. I was, one, distracted by Hazel, and two, too excited slash nervous. We exchanged our vows and our rings. Then Reyna allowed us to kiss. I couldn't believe it. I had a wife, and I could start a family.

Hazel smiled at me. She had tears of joy in her eyes. I kissed her again, unable to stop myself from smiling. We left the room with everybody giving us a standing ovation. I jumped when I felt someone holding on my leg. I looked down and saw Luke, Percy's son. He had a smile from ear to ear. Percy ran after Luke and gave me an apologizing look.

I walked with Hazel to a room where we could relax a little before going to the party. We sat on chairs, still holding each other's hand.

"I can't believe it," whispered Hazel. "I'm Mrs. Zhang, now!"

Hazel laughed. I leaned in and gave her a long, sweet kiss. I almost didn't notice Annabeth and Jason coming in.

"Do you want us to wait outside?" asked Annabeth.

"Or cancel the party?" added Jason, obviously joking.

Annabeth removed Hazel's veil, trying her best not to touch the hairdo. Jason was congratulating me. When we were ready, we left the room to join the party held in our honour. Everyone cheered when we walked to the table reserved for us and our closest friends. I sat between Hazel and Reyna. I was ready to enjoy the night.

~Leo~

Ah, parties! Plenty of fun, food, occasions to show off (just a little, I'm not Narcissus!), and nice ladies. Of course, my heart belongs to Calypso, don't get me wrong! I was seated between her and my gloomy friend Nico di Angelo. Man, that dude was dark! I sat besides two complete opposites.

On my left, Calypso had bright skin and light brown hair. She always liked to dress in happy colours, even in winter. The dark got her all sad. She was always smiling and laughing. And she sang like an angel.

On my right, Nico looked like he came back from Hell (wait...). I don't mean he looked bad, but he always had dark spots under his eyes and his skin had a weird grey tint. And he wore a black suit. I mean, it's a great idea, he looked all fancy, but I'm sure his whole wardrobe is composed of black shirts and black jeans. I know he has a Hawaiian shirt, though... That's a long story.

So here I was, eating something that I couldn't recognize, but still delicious. It reminded me of something I ate on a trip with Calypso. I couldn't remember what it was, or where it was, but I knew I already ate something like that.

I heard Frank, Hazel, Percy and Annabeth laughing. I looked in their direction to know what was going on. I couldn't see a thing, so I got up and walked to them. Nobody is laughing without Uncle Leo!

Frank was trying to keep it together. Hazel was holding a little statue of a fish. It was made of metal but was painted gold.

"I don't get it..." I said, not having a clue.

"Don't you?" said Percy. "It said goldfish!"

Oh no... He didn't REALLY do that! I started laughing and went back to my place. My neighbours looked at me, wondering what was going on.

"A goldfish," I said.

I think Nico got it.

~Piper~

I could hear snippets of conversation around me, but I didn't really pay attention to it. My eyes were fixed on Jason. I saw him preoccupied, and I was worried about him. I saw he was trying to have fun, but behind his glasses, I could see a cloud darkening his gaze. Since Gaea's defeat, Jason had become very important in demigods' formation. He taught his students combat techniques, but he mostly showed them how to control their powers. Some demigods were very powerful and often not showing them this was to underestimate their formation.

Jason had started an exchange program between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter for their training. With this program, young demigods learned both Greek and Roman combat techniques.

It had been a while since Jason started teaching new demigods for a quest he had prepared for a long time. He wanted to find the power of the oracle of Delphi. It was very complicated because the heroes needed to travel to Europe. Jason was very enthusiastic about this project.

However, a few months sooner the project hit a wall. Jason was extremely upset because if a quest was given, there were too many chances for it to fail lamentably. He tried his best, but the first demigods left.

Since, a dozen of demigods left for Europe and not a single one had returned. For Jason, sending other young people to their death (assuming the demigods were dead) was out of the question.

That was why he barely spoke in a month and why I worried about him.


	4. The Lost Heroes

~Percy~

All I could hear was the laughs of my friends. We were many at this "after-wedding party", even though Hazel and Frank wanted a bit of intimacy with their friends to celebrate their wedding. The Seven from the last prophecy, Reyna, Tyson, Ella, Calypso, Rachel, Nico, Will, Thalia, Grover, Juniper, Coach Hedge and some others from New Rome were present. Thus, it was very hot in their modest house and the noise was deafening.

I was exhausted (two small kids weren't helping), so I went upstairs to maybe borrow a bed. There, I noticed Jason, seated on a chair and holding his head in his hands.

"Hey! Everything alright?" I asked

"Yeah. All right."

I instantly understood it wasn't.

~Jason~

I knew that if I told Percy he would want to help me right away. But he absolutely shouldn't.

1) It was too dangerous.

2) Percy and Annabeth had two children.

3) They were still dreaming every night about their sinister journey in Tartarus.

4) It was WAY too dangerous.

Yet, he was going to know about it at some point. I preferred it if he learned it from me.

"Percy, there is a terrible thing going on. As you know, the oracle of Delphi is missing. For a few years, I tried, with the help of Apollo and other gods, to find it. Lately, many demigods disappeared because the quest was not well planned. The problem is that without a prophecy, there is no functional quest and the number of monsters doesn't stop increasing. I cannot stand seeing demigods dying and civilians being killed because of the monsters. I don't know what to do!"

"Oh... Dam..."

Usually, I would have laughed at Percy's reply. "Dam" was an inside joke between him, Grover and Thalia. But today, I didn't have the heart to laugh. To be honest, I was so troubled by the situation that I couldn't see anything else. Piper didn't stop telling me that I was distant, like on another planet. I was never able to lay off my responsibilities towards young demigods in both camps. Percy succeeded in distancing himself a bit after the war, but I didn't. Maybe the fact that this weight was burdening me since childhood kept me from living my life to the fullest with Piper. Maybe the promises I made were still hanging unkept above my head, like a sword of Damocles. Anyway, it was a fact that all this situation was my fault.

But I knew I had to find a solution. I felt horrible guilt. All these young demigods died because of me. Percy was the first person to know my secret, and already I felt like a burden was released from my shoulders.

"You have no idea how I feel. It's like if I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. Now it's like you took a bit of it," I said.

"Oh, man, you have no idea..." he answered, wincing like if remembering a painful memory.

Percy took a deep breath.

"We'll find a way," he said, patting my shoulder. "I swear on the River Styx, we'll find a way."

~Will~

I was in a corner of the room, yawning. I was tired, yes, but also really bored. I had almost nobody to talk to. My best friends were at Camp Half-Blood, and my boyfriend was too busy talking to Reyna.

I looked around, still yawning. Nico noticed me and came near me.

"Watch out, you could eat a bug," he said, crossing his arms over his small chest and leaning on the wall.

"Bugs are full of proteins," I replied looking down on him. "Trust me, I'm a doctor!"

"Yeah, I know..."

My eyes didn't leave Nico. I still remembered the expression he had when I first forbade him to shadow travel. I still remembered when we started dating. People at Camp Half-Blood didn't really care that we were, well, gay.

At first, Nico was so distant and reserved that I thought we would never get in a relationship. Through the years, he learned to open up. He had improved so much. He still had a fascination for darkness and death, which sometimes disturbed me.

"Will?"

Without noticing it, I reached Nico's hand. He moved away.

"I know, not in public. Sorry."

There was an awkward silence. Just like when we started dating. Throwback!

"Hey, where are Percy and Jason?" Nico asked, a worried look on his face. "I didn't see them, in a long time..."

Nico paused. He looked in pain.

"I feel deaths. I feel pain. Guilt. It's..."

"Okay, okay, calm down. Are people dead here?" I asked, my doctor instincts kicking in.

"No, but someone here needs help."

Without further explanation, Nico and I ran to the stairs and got to the second floor in a matter of seconds.

I heard voices in the first room on the right. I knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer. Jason was seated on a chair, his head in his hands and Percy was looking out the window, a blank expression on his face.

"Guys, is there something wrong?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well I think you can tell, Will," Percy replied, still looking away.

"What is it?"

"We need to tell everyone at the same time," said Jason.

"I can go find them," offered Nico, already leaving the room.

"No, it's Hazel and Frank's wedding day. Let them have fun. We'll tell them later. Now, we need to sleep."

We all left the room. Something really bad was definitely going to happen.


	5. The Crew

~Jason~

I had decided that I was going to do it a long time ago. I was going to look for the oracle of Delphi and no one (except myself and Rachel) was going to have his life in danger. Now that Percy knew, I needed to go before everyone knew, too, and before anyone wanted to risk his life with me.

I had prepared everything, I told Rachel. After all, she was concerned. I had a backpack with a few spare clothes, nectar and ambrosia. Everyone invited to the party had received a letter explaining why we had left.

Before closing the door, I observed Piper. She was sleeping, her expression peaceful. At the moment closed the door, it creaked. Piper opened an eye, closed it immediately and turned over. I held my breath, afraid she might wake up for good. Phew! Suddenly, she jumped and sat up on the bed.

"Jason, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, I'm going to the washroom."

"Jason Grace, come back here, immediately!" She stood up, furious. "You were really thinking that I wouldn't hear you leaving? Idiot! You dare to abandon me? How can you..."

I closed quickly the door. I put my back on it, preventing it to open.

"Piper, I'm really sorry, I cannot stand the sight of you risking your life, and I will not stand losing you. You stay here, that's it!"

I heard sobs coming from the other side of the door.

At that moment, I could feel the power of the charmspeak she was using :

"Jason, you can't leave, I need you. Explain what's going on, I can help you and we can find a way together."

I had all the difficulties in the world to ignore Piper's call. I wanted so much to listen to her, to take her in my arms and to explain everything to her. I still managed to get out of the influence of her charmspeak, not without struggle though.

"I....I love you Pipes"

I locked the door and ran away, wiping away my tears. It was hard to ignore Piper who was crying out my name.

~Percy~

We needed to go. We were forced to. I needed to tell Annabeth because she must come with me. I wouldn't stand knowing her far from me, and neither would she.

Jason had promised me to explain everything to the others the next morning, but I was sure he would be too afraid to do so.

"Annabeth?"

She faced me, her grey eyes staring at me. Every time she looked at me, I felt the same warmth in my heart.

"Yes?"

I explained the whole story. She continued to stare at me.

"Annabeth, we need... we need to find the oracle. We can't fail.

"That's out of the question," she said, surprisingly calm. "It's way too dangerous."

I flared up.

"Annabeth, think about it! It's our only choice! The number of monsters is increasing since there are no more quests!"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm thinking! Percy, we are no longer 15, we have responsibilities, and above all, two children! Have you thought about the children?"

I bit my lower lip.

"Annabeth, I thought about them before anything else. That's why I want to go. I am going to find the oracle. I don't want it to be my son's job in a few years. You wouldn't stand seeing Luke or Silena going on a quest this dangerous. I will never let something like this happen. They will stay at my mom's."

Tears were streaming down Annabeth's cheeks.

"Percy, I almost lost you many times. Every night I dream about your death or the death of our children. Every night I dream about Tartarus. I am sure of one thing... If you die, I will not last very long."

"It's the only solution... I... I need to go," I said, taking my bag. I was always carrying it around since I was very busy.

"No!"

She stood up and kissed me. She was sobbing and her tears mixed with mine.

"You need to call your mother so she can come and take the children now."

My heart did a backflip in my chest. She was coming! I would never have had the courage to leave without her. I quickly called my mom and I kissed Luke and Silena on their foreheads. Maybe I was the last time I saw them, but I was ready to offer my life if it meant a better world for them.

Even if I knew that this might be my last quest, I was so happy and full of hope that my heart was about to explode.

~Hazel~

I woke up with a start, thinking I had heard a cry. I listened carefully. Nothing. It might have only been a dream. I got back to bed, but when I was about to fall back asleep, I heard someone shouting.

"Jason!"

It was Piper. I got up so fast I was a bit dizzy. I ran to the room she slept in for the night. It was locked from the outside. I opened it easily and found Piper, her eyes full of tears, on her knees at the door.

"Hazel! Thank the gods!"

She got up and ran out of the room. I tried to catch up with her, but she ran too fast for me as if driven by a powerful feeling.

"Piper, what is going on?" I asked.

"It's... It's Jason. He ran away," she said, between two sobs. "He abandoned me, saying that I shouldn't risk my life."

"Do you even know where he went?"

"No."

She fell on the porch, crying. I forced her to come back inside. What a beautiful wedding night! I climbed the stairs and went back to my room to wake Frank up.

"Mmmh?" he said.

"Frank, Piper needs help. Jason disappeared."

"Can't we take care of this tomorrow?"

I shook him.

"Frank! Your best friend disappeared and abandoned Piper. Can't you transform into something to help us find him?"

He got out of bed, yawning.

"Fine, fine! Take Piper, prepare a suitcase and we'll go find Jason."

We started to prepare ourselves for our mission. After taking a few clothes, Frank took the shape of a dragon and we went off to find the stupid boy who dared to abandon his girlfriend and lock her up in a room.

~Nico~

I couldn't sleep (as always). Will and I were designated a room in the basement. He was sleeping like a baby. It was still weird for me to constantly be with him. Before, I was solitary, and I tried to avoid people (especially Percy).

So I was looking at Will sleeping and I tried to find sleep myself, even though I knew it wouldn't be possible. I suddenly felt a sudden pain in my chest. Someone close to me was in pain. I felt it generally when someone was dying, but also when someone was profoundly hurt.

I turned to Will instantly, afraid his heart would stop beating. No, everything was fine. Maybe something was going on upstairs? I didn't want to get involved, but the pain didn't stop. When I heard a door shutting closed, it started to fade away.

I decided to go see, just to make sure everything was fine. Upstairs, I looked at the rooms. I saw a closed door (Percy and Annabeth's). A door was wide open and the room was empty. Jason and Piper's. The last door, Frank and Hazel's, was partly open. I was surprised to find a room empty, but maybe Jason and Piper went to take a romantic walk or something like that.

I wanted to check in Frank and Hazel's room. Frank was alone, snoring loudly. Hazel was nowhere to be seen, and it convinced me that something was indeed wrong. To make sure, I opened Percy and Annabeth's door, preparing myself for the worst humiliation ever. But it was empty. Something was going on.

I ran to the basement to wake up Will.

"Will, wake up! Something bad is happening!"

He woke up with a start.

"What is going on?"

"Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Hazel are not in their rooms."

I heard a door closing violently once again. For the first time, I noticed an envelope on the nightstand. I tore it open and started reading out loud. It was explaining something about demigods going missing, but it was mainly explaining that Jason and Rachel left.

"Will, get ready, we're leaving."

Without asking questions, he did as I said. What I like about him was that he never asked me questions. He knew what I wanted to say just by looking at me. We ran to the front door and stepping outside, I saw a dragon flying over the house, heading to the docks. Will and I ran in that direction (it would have been faster to shadow travel, but it was forbidden, doctor's orders). To the port!

~Leo~

We were watching a movie, calypso and I, in our "house". It was a strange house, I need to say. I built it submarine-like, allowing us to travel anywhere around the world. I am not a sea god (too bad), but Calypso was (kind of), so I opted for a vehicle water-friendly, to make her happy. Because Leo always makes ladies happy.

Our submarine had an engine room (my favourite place), a great living room with a couch and the biggest TV that could fit in the room and a machine that made us food, like on the Argo II. There were a few rooms, a workshop (how could I live without one, I have no idea) and a whole room for Festus. I couldn't let Festus go after everything we went through together. Our "house" was at the New Rome docks. In short, we had everything we needed, and we were happy.

As I was saying, I was holding Calypso in my arms, watching a movie with her. Okay, we weren't watching a movie, but I held her in my arms.

It was at this moment (obviously) that we saw Jason and Rachel arrive (we were surfacing, we were not dumb enough to waste our oxygen stock). Percy and Annabeth caught up with them soon enough. They looked like they were in a fight. Jason had his eyes full of tears.

"I think that these imbeciles need Doctor Leo to calm down," I told Calypso reluctantly.

So I exited the house to see what was going on.

"Jason, what are you doing? Are you mad?" said Percy.

"I didn't want anyone to have his life in danger. You are the mad one! Abandoning your two young children!" Jason answered.

"We thought about it," said Annabeth, glaring at Percy, her look saying "yup, you are really mad, though."

"And you, who are you to talk of abandon? You think Piper is going to sit back and relax?"

At this moment, a dragon landed near us. Piper and Hazel climbed off its back at the moment it changed itself in Frank.

Piper ran to Jason and... Slapped him across the face.

"How dare you?"

"I..."

Hazel stood between them.

"Can someone explain?" she shouted to cover the noise.

"I need an explanation, too," I said.

Nico and Will arrived, joining our gang of crazy mad grown-ups fighting like little kids. This was beginning to feel like a very confusing movie.

Jason took a deep breath and explained everything from the beginning.

When he was done, all the demigods stared at Jason is disbelief, trying to take in the news. The quest waiting for us was of unprecedented scale, and we couldn't even begin to wrap our heads around it. Nevertheless, everyone displayed an expression of determination. We couldn't leave the world as it was to future young demigods, we had to do something. And there was no better team on Earth than the legendary one lead by the one and only Leo Valdez, where we could call ourselves "Team Leo!"

"What about a vote?" exclaimed Percy. "Those who want to go on the most important quest in history so far raise their hand."

We all did.

"Well, I think we need to rename my submarine! What about Argo III?" I exclaimed.

And this, ladies and gents, is how the biggest demigod crusade ever started.


	6. A New Start

~Delilah~

Summer break, at last! I was dreaming about it for several weeks and even months. To be honest, I hated school. It was a cold, grey and small place. There were too many people, too much noise. Furthermore, for summer break, I was going to go to my mom's in the country. I loved it (but I loved a little less my mother). The country means nature, fields, sun and silence. It is the best thing for me, and I needed fresh air.

I gathered the last things remaining in my locker before leaving school for well-deserved holidays. I exited the building without looking back.

I lived in Paris (yes, I speak French, but I'm good enough in English). There are green spots, but not enough for me. I didn't know if I loved or hated Paris. The buildings are wonderful in the rich districts but in the poor ones... It's noisy and dirty. The food is delicious if you can afford it. But above all, there are the tourists. They are everywhere, at all times of the year. But I can't forget that Paris is the city of love!

So I was doing down the stairs of the red building that oppressed me for all the school year when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Deli!" It was Hugo.

"My name is DeliLAH," I whispered between my teeth.

"Yeah, well if you want to hang out this summer, call me!"

"We'll see..."

I left him, running. Free at last! I didn't really like Hugo. He ran after every girl, and every one of them was stupid enough to fall in his arms. I paced to my house if you can call it a house. It was more like a cheap room I rented for the year. As a matter of fact, I didn't have a lot of money. My mom gave me the minimum to live and eat, but I wasn't the most important thing in her life.

To put you guys in context, I will talk about my parents. My father is dead and I have no memory of him. Here... That's it. And my mother, well... My mother is Demeter, goddess of grain. Pretty rad, uh? Well, not exactly. First of all, grain is far less strong than storms or seas. Second of all, having a goddess for a mother isn't what you would think of relaxing.

I am clearly not her favourite daughter (I think that Persephone has the title of favourite in the heart of my mother) and she has great expectations towards me. At the moment, she talks about the biggest quest in history and of a certain Percy Jackson. I hate it. But if I need to continue to go to school, I don't want to be part of any kind of quest. All I need at the moment is a good sunbath for the next two months.

~Killian~

I woke early that morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but the sky started to take beautiful colours. I exited the tour bus in which I had passed the last four years of my life after putting my pillow under the blanket of my bunk. I tried to be the more silent I could. If someone woke up my plan would fail.

Outside, it was still cool. The grass was wet and smelled fresh. I hid behind buses, making sure no one was there. As I gathered my courage, I heard someone coughing behind me. I sighed and turned around.

I was facing a teenage girl, my best and only friend. She was smoking her early morning cigarette. She invited me to sit with her and offered me her cigarette, even if she knew I'd refuse it.

"Talking a walk?" she asked. Something in her smile told me she knew I was running away, but she didn't bring it up.

"Yeah," I answered feeling bad for lying and abandoning her.

"Send me a postcard, will you?"

I nodded. As I stood, my backpack seemed heavier. I walked out of the camp, to an unknown destination.

Since the age of 8, I was in this circus. We were constantly travelling, so I saw a big part of Europe. Before I got a job in the circus, I was in an orphanage in Italy. Everything was going pretty well when I started developing a certain talent for hypnosis and controlling people. Some of my... experiments went wrong, so I was kicked out of many orphanages. When no one wanted me anymore, I started to give little shows in the streets, using small animals. I once made a rat attack a dog.

One day, the manager of a circus noticed me and offered me a job. He was very nice at first, but I quickly realized that he wasn't interested in me. He could only see the money I brought him as Killian, the youngest hypnotist.

The idea of leaving came to me after a year in the circus. I wasn't happy and I was often attacked by creatures I seemed to be the only one to see. However, it fascinated me. Many times I almost died because I was to busy observing the monsters. I had an interest in mythology, and something told me it was meant to be.

I reached the road and followed it. I was in Switzerland. The road was deserted and there was no sign of civilization. By the time I arrived in a town, I will have figured out a plan.

***

I found a small orphanage. I knocked at the door and a kind-looking lady looked down on me. She invited me in.

"Hello, young man! What can I do for you?" she asked politely. Too politely.

"May I sleep here for the night? I will leave in the morning, I promise."

"Oh dear, we can keep you much longer!"

"No," I refused. "I'm here just for a night."

"How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Young one, no need to lie on your age! I can see you are around eight."

"No, Miss, I swear! I'm really twelve!"

While we were talking, the lady lead me to a room. There were three beds lined on the wall. She pointed the one closest to the door.

"Here! Tomorrow we'll fill up the paperwork. Have a good night! Your roommates will be here soon!"

She closed the door, leaving me alone in the small room. A few minutes later two boys around my age came in, giving me questioning looks. I explained to them why I was here. James and Lewis turned out to be very good friends.

"I need to escape. I plan on doing it tonight. Are you guys in?"

They both said yes.

~Adelaide~

I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. What a boring day. I was listening to the clock, ticking at each second. Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc.

Urrrrrgghhh...

My dog, Enodia, climbed on the bed and licked my face. She was the only one that could make me smile. She was also my only friend. Everyone was scared of me. Everyone but her. She was the only one to really love me.

No one really loved me. My parents had abandoned me when I was a baby (I deduced it since everything I remembered was the grey walls of the orphanage). My adoptive parents didn't like me. They were only trying to make me believe they did, but I knew they took care of me only to have a good conscience. Those hypocrites.

So I found myself alone (once again), staring at the ceiling.

'I'm hungry,' I thought. I went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"She is not normal! She scares me. She scares others!"

"Then what do you think we should do? Send her to a hospital?"

There was a hesitation.

"Maybe it's the best for her. Hopefully, she will come back transformed and happier?"

"If it's the right thing to do we will do it. We swore to do the best for her, no matter the cost."

I was hiding behind a wall, eavesdropping on my foster parents' conversation. This time, it was enough. I needed to escape before losing my freedom. A hospital! I wasn't insane! It wasn't my fault if people didn't get along with me. I was so mad I couldn't move. Hopefully, Enodia brought me back to reality.

It was time for me to leave. I wasn't even sorry. I rushed into my room and took the necessary. A few clothes, a bit of spare change, something to write my dark thoughts.

My hand in the doorknob, I realized I was forgetting someone: Enodia. I whistled softly and she came. We exited the house together.

Getting out was surprisingly easy. My parents were still in the living room, deciding of my fate. The street was calm and deserted. Most people were sleeping at this time of the day. I began to walk down the street, to an unknown destination. The first step was to leave the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waddup? Calliope here. So today, among all the super relevant things that I had to do (like go outside, read Game of Thrones or write another chapter of this fanfic) I decided to go on Pinterest and try to learn to draw to make fan art of our OC. So, since we realized that we have almost no physical description of our characters, this is how I see them. Here you go! (I’m not an artist, obviously, but I’m a girl who likes procrastinating.) Also: I don’t know how to add an image (how is this possible?) so here’s the link to my Pinterest hahahaha.
> 
> https://pin.it/3iUJBfR


	7. Under the Sea

~Annabeth~

It was the worst of ideas to embark on this journey. I hated Percy for forcing me to risk my life here. For the moment, it was not very dangerous, but it was totally chaotic. We had left only two days ago and the morale of the crew was already at its lowest.

Piper was still mad at Jason

Jason was trying to be forgiven, but Piper wouldn't hear a thing

The submarine was too small for the group

Leo has too much to do, so he had no time to cheer us up

I terribly missed Silena and Luke

As I said, Leo and Calypso's house wasn't made to contain 11 people. The half of us slept in the living room, some in the rooms and the rest in the workshop (oh joy!). Even if Leo tried to make us smile, Calypso told me we wouldn't cross the Atlantic in the submarine. We would have to find another vehicle.

I was walking to Piper's "cabin". If she forgave Jason, maybe it would help the moral. I knocked on the door.

"Come in..."

Piper was lying on the bed. She was reading. Her hair was a mess, but she still was gorgeous (lucky her.)

"Hey!" I said.

"I know what you came to tell me: 'Why don't you give him a chance?' Well because it is really hard to forgive, and that..."

I cut her off.

"Piper, what I came to say is: 'What you're doing is worthless because you know that you love him. You're hurting yourself, right now.'"

She looked at me and started to cry.

"I know, but he abandoned me! Do you realize it, Annabeth?" She continued. "You know, Jason and I went through some rough patches at the beginning of our relationship with the fake memories put in our heads by Hera. We even took our distances for a moment, I think it allowed him to ask himself many questions about his true feelings. But we realized that our relationship deserved a second chance and we worked together to make it work. And look, we've been together 12 years now! I know he has been agitated lately, but you know that what we have built, we built it together with the trust we have in each other. I don't know if I could forgive him this... Would Percy do the same thing?"

I thought about it.

"No, Percy wouldn't, because he wouldn't have enough courage to do so. Percy needs me too much. Even though we grew up and we are now adults, Tartarus still hunts us. Never we would be able to part ways again. Jason was courageous because it is incredibly difficult to do what he did. He protected you, Piper. He thought about you. What do you think about when you see him?"

"I think about that time when he brought me to see the stars on the roof of Cabin 1 at Camp Half-Blood. I think about that year we went together to Oregon for the holidays. I think about all those times he told me that he loved me..."

She took a deep breath.

"Very well, he deserves a chance."

~Leo~

That night, Piper and Jason insisted to eat in their room. Not that I wasn't happy. We had a bit more breathing space. Everyone was talking to their significant other, leaving Rachel alone. She was eating her meal by small bites, leaving most of it. I walked to her.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah! It's just that I don't like chicken soup a lot..."

"Don't lie to Uncle Leo, sunshine. Besides, you have a magical plate. It only serves you what you wish to eat."

She smiled helplessly.

"Look at yourselves. You are all in happy couples and I'm all alone. But it's fine, I'm used to it! Go eat, Calypso is waiting for you."

I did as she said, but it wasn't over. I needed to find a way to make her feel part of the crew. Calypso glanced at her, understanding the situation. Rachel was not alone.

~Rachel~

When my meal was over, I quickly went back to my cabin before Hazel and Piper came back. I was sharing the already small room with them. On the wall was a map of the world. I looked at it and realized how much we had to travel. We weren't even in the right ocean.

Why did I accept to go on this quest? I seriously had doubts about Jason's intentions. But since the Oracle had disappeared, I was more than useless in this demigod world.

I sat on the bed, looking at the sea. Fishes were swimming by, but it was too dark to see them clearly. Suddenly, my vision blurred. I started to feel dizzy. If I wasn't already seated, I would have fallen. 

I first saw a young boy. He had dark hair and blue eyes. He looked very young, but something told me he was older than he looked. He was running in a dark street, two boys following him. They were laughing.

Then, I saw a blonde girl carrying books in her hands. She entered a small apartment, kicking the door open. She threw her books on the small bed and proceeded to stuff clothes in her bag. She exited the house as fast as she came in.

Last, I saw a girl with black hair walking with a big brown dog at her side. She was throwing anxious looks around her as if she was being followed.

The vision ended but left me with a weird feeling. I saw these kids for a reason. I didn't know why yet, but I needed to find out. I had no name, I didn't know the places I saw, but I felt like I would know soon enough.

I went back to the small kitchen and found Calypso. She was doing the dishes. Actually, she was just moving her hand in the air and the dishes were washed, dried and stored all by themselves.

"Need something?" she asked.

"I had a vision."

She stopped moving her hand, making a few plates crash and break on the floor.

"You had?" she said in a gasp. "I thought you lost all your powers!"

"Apparently, they're back. Well, part of them."

She invited me to sit at the table. She called our friends and in a matter of seconds, they were all listening to my story.

"It is weird..." said Jason. He was, as the others, lost in his thoughts.

"Can you try to draw them?" Percy suggested.

"Yes, I can do that," I said. At last, I was going to be useful!

I spend the night painting the three kids. Piper and Hazel ordered me to go to sleep, but I refused to do so before my work was finished.

I didn't see the three for a long time, but their picture was printed in my head. I just needed to close my eyes to see them. At dawn, my work was completed. I was very satisfied with it. I placed the three portraits on the kitchen table and went back to my cabin to sleep for a few hours. It was four in the morning.

When I woke up, the girls weren't there. I looked at my watch. It was two in the afternoon. I stormed out of my room and ran into Will.

"Gods, I'm so sorry!"

"Why, hello!" he exclaimed. "I saw your paintings, they are pretty impressive!"

I blushed. I always did when someone complimented my work.

"Thanks. Sorry again!"

"Look, the others are in the kitchen. Leo is explaining how we'll reach Europe. You should go."

"What about you? You're not going?"

"I don't feel like I deserve to be there. I prefer to leave the legendary Seven together to figure out a plan."

He walked away, leaving me alone. I decided to go see what the others were up to.


	8. A Talk With A Goddess

~Reyna~

It was early morning. The streets of New Rome were calm. I was walking alone, wrapped in my cape. I was thinking. I had woken up at two in the morning and I couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to finish the ton of work I had to do. The thing was that I had noticed a letter on my kitchen table. I had recognized Jason's handwriting. I had opened and read the letter, my hands shaking.

Dear Reyna,

I'm sorry to leave like that, but I need to accomplish a very important quest. I leave with Rachel. We hope we will be able to save the many demigods that were gone missing and take back the Oracle of Delphi. Please, do not send any help. It is something I need to do alone.

Yours truly,

Jason Grace

My hands were shaking. I wasn't thinking clearly, so I decided to go take a walk. The letter still in my hand, I paced in the streets. Where was I going? I didn't know. How was I feeling? Sad, angry, betrayed.

My feet took me to the beach. I sat on a rock, watching the sea and its crashing waves. Jason was certainly gone by now. Then, something caught my attention. It was a shiny gold thing, immersed in water. I walked closer to the sea to take a better look. I had both feet in the salted water. It was soaking my boots, but I didn't care. What I saw crushed my heart.

It was a submarine. Just by looking at it, I knew it was Leo's. Everything he built was gold, just like Festus, his mechanical dragon. The submarine was too deep in water for me to see anything through the windows. I had the feeling Jason was in there. I had a feeling he was not alone.

I fought back tears and I left the beach. I had to make sure I was indeed left alone. I ran to Percy's house. All the lights were out. I visited all my friends' houses, but they were all empty. At this point, I broke down. I went back to my house, drying the lone tear on my cheek. I couldn't cry much, for so many reasons. I needed to keep the mask of the serious girl, keeping hold of her emotions. I needed to if I wanted the citizens of New Rome to feel safe.

Then, if Jason didn't want me in, it was for a reason. Since he lost his memory and came back with Piper as a girlfriend, our relationship had never been the same. I had two theories. One, he wanted me to stay and take care of New Rome. Two, I was worthless.

Anyway, I felt alone, as I always do. I sat on my front porch and looked at the dark sky slowly colouring itself.

"Hello, Reyna," said a voice behind me, making me jump to my feet, my dagger drawn.

I was facing a young girl around sixteen years old, her short black hair held by a silver crown. She had a silver bow and quiver in her hand but didn't seem to want to use them. She was resting her back in the door.

"If I were you, I'd put that away," she said, glancing at my dagger. "Don't you recognize me?" Of course, I did.

"Thalia," I said, putting my blade away. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I wouldn't say the same about you, am I wrong?" Thalia asked, scanning my face.

"It's fine."

"Tell me."

"Your brother."

"Ah..."

I explained everything to her. The more I talked, the more she rolled her eyes.

"I think you should take this out of your mind and carry on," she said when my story was over. "You are a strong independent woman who needs no man!"

"You've been on the Internet lately?"

"Maybe," she trailed off. "Anyway, he's just dumb, I'll take care of him. Someone needs to stay here and make sure New Rome stays the way it is."

She was ready to leave, but she changed her mind.

"A new war is coming. The kind you've never experienced before."

"Hey, I lived through two ends of the world, I think I can go for a third one!"

Thalia chuckled. We shook hands and she walked away disappearing in the woods.

~Delilah~

Arrived, at last! After two hours of train, I was really happy to have arrived. I had decided to walk to the little house I was living in with my mother during the holidays. She liked to come here because it was surrounded by fields. I saw my mother very rarely. She told me I was one of the luckiest half-goddess because I saw her once in a while. She told me it was more than many of the other demigods.

The sun was heating my face and I was walking quickly when I saw the little house. I started to run to reach the home I liked so much.

I reached the house and opened the door.

"Mom?"

No answer. I decided to settle in. My mom was rarely on time. I took my bag in my room upstairs and took a book to read on the porch and enjoy the end of the day.

My mother was still missing. Generally, she warned me, but a goddess is so out of control. I went to bed, hoping she would arrive in the morning.

I woke up with a start. These days I always made the same dream. Well, I dreamed about the same person. It was a man, around twenty years old, although he looked younger. He had black hair and green eyes. Without knowing why I knew he was nice. In my dream, he looked worried. He was with many other people, but I couldn't remember their faces.

I decided to get up and went down the stairs. My mom was still not there. It was starting to worry me. I took my book and waited. At 10 o'clock, the front door slammed. My mother came in. She looked panicked, and believe me, a panicked goddess isn't a good omen.

"Hi, Mom..."

"Hello, darling. I'd really like to come with you, but-"

"Come with me where?"

"I don't have time to explain. They're coming, take your things. I have a horse for you."

"A horse?!"

"Hurry up!"

I stuffed my things in my bag and exited the house. A gorgeous horse was waiting for me.

"He'll take you to safety. His name is Arion. When he'll drop you off, he will probably never come back. Goodbye!"

And she disappeared into the night.

~Jason~

I had called all my friends for an urgent meeting. They all needed to be aware of what was going on. Almost all of the crew embarked on this journey without thinking about it and I needed to clear things up.

Piper was holding my hand. She had forgiven me, thank the gods. Everyone was seated on the living room's couches. I spread a map on the coffee table.

"We will soon arrive in Mexico."

"In two hours, exactly," Leo cut me off. "We will arrive at the port of Puerto Vallarta."

"Thank you," I continued. "We will then pass by Aguascalientes. There, Leo knows someone who can lend us a vehicle to cross the Atlantic."

"Not a boat, I hope," asked Hazel.

"Probably," said Leo.

We could see on Hazel's face she was already seasick. She was doing pretty good in the submarine, though.

"Anyway, then we'll go to San Luis Potosí, then Tampico. Any objections? Comments? Insults, perhaps?"

No one answered.

"Good! Let's head for Mexico, Captain Leo!"


	9. Mexico

~Hazel~

We had arrived in Puerto Vallarta. It was a beautiful city on the edge of the sea, the houses were adorable and the beach, stunning. The water was light blue, and I had the impression of being in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Everything was going just well and we could finally walk on solid, immobile earth for the whole day. At last!

On the second day, we had decided to split, because we had a lot of shopping to do. Leo had material to find for some reparations, Percy and Annabeth were in charge of the food, Jason and Piper bought maps (even though I think it was a pretext to spend more time in the beautiful streets) and Rachel needed to find some kind of material, she refused to say more.

Anyway, Frank and myself were stuck in the submarine for two hours. Calypso was sleeping in her room. Everything was quiet, the sun was reflecting on the water and tourists bathed in the see. Since nothing dramatic happened since our departure, I decided to go walk on the beach with Frank. We really needed to stretch our legs.

It wasn't the best idea ever.

~Adelaide~

I hid in an alley, glued to Enodia. I was cold, I was hungry, but above all, I couldn't move since the police were after me.

I had overheard a conversation in a convenience store. Two people were talking about a young girl who ran away and that her family was looking for her. I was sure they were talking about me.

I absolutely needed to find a way to escape.

I put the hood of my jacket.

"Enodia, listen, we need to flee without drawing attention. If I run, you run, understood?"

She seemed to understand, she was very intelligent. So I stood up, threw my bag on one shoulder and started to walk, head bent down. I headed towards the exit of the city, where there was a forest, where I could hide more easily.

Suddenly, I heard a siren. I hid behind a wall. In a glass across the street, I saw my reflection. With my black hair in my face, I really looked like the little girl in The Circle. When I no longer heard the siren, I continued to walk.

"Where do you think you are going, young lady?"

I turned around quickly. A cop. I froze.

"Your parents are looking for you, you should go back home. Come with me, you'll be safe."

I don't know what happened, but I moved slowly closer to the police officer. I had given up. My dog moaned, her tail between her legs.

"Good girl, get into the car without making stories."

I was now close enough for him to put his hand on my shoulder. On his forearm, I noticed a snake tattoo. Weird... Enodia began to growl. The officer took me to his car and opened the door. 

It was at this moment that I saw his eyes.

Red eyes.

It really wasn't normal and I started to back up.

"What's wrong? Why don't you want to get in?"

He took my arm and I tried to get him to let go. Then, the officer transformed before my eyes. He took the form of a humanoid bull. A Minotaur. I knew those from my History classes. They were very dangerous.

For a split second, we stared at each other without moving. Enodia was barking, but it was like if I couldn't hear her. I scanned my surroundings, looking for an escape or a weapon. I remarked a metal bar in a trash can. Who throws away metal bars like that, I don't know, but it was my lucky day.

I sprinted for the bar. The Minotaur charged after me. I turned around, and in my motion, I hit the monster in the ribs. Frustrated, the Minotaur stepped back. I think I saw steam coming out of his nostrils.

The Minotaur charged. I had my back to a wall. At the last second, I dove under his legs, cutting my knees in the process. The Minotaur slammed head-first in the wall. The creature shook his head, barely hurt. It multiplied its attacks, but I used the metal bar as a kind of sword. When he tried to reach out for me, I hit his hand as hard as I can.

But it was way stronger and way taller than me. My muscles started to hurt. I still felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I looked for Enodia, but she had disappeared. I felt tears coming to my eyes, blurring my vision. Suddenly, an eagle landed on the Minotaur's head. The eagle tried to claw out the Minotaur's eyes, but without success. The beast got hold on the metal bar and rose me from the ground.

I refused to let go of the bar. I was now six feet in the air, my feet dangling, bleeding and sweaty. The Minotaur slammed the bar (and me holding on tight) on the wall. I didn't let go, but my vision became blurry. When the Minotaur hit me on the wall a second time I lost instantly consciousness. I didn't see the epic battle between the Minotaur and the mysterious eagle afterwards, but I didn't need to witness it to know that the eagle had been defeated. I knew it before everything became black.


	10. Kidnapped

~Rachel~

I hid behind a small house made of red bricks to catch my breath. They had found me and they were chasing me. Lately, I saw them coming closer in my dreams and they finally reached me. I should have brought a weapon. I never wore one and I only understood now why it was so important to have one to protect yourself and to fight.

I looked for something in my bag. A pencil case, sheets of paper, a chewy bar and a blue hairbrush. Nothing. I really needed to catch up with the others. I had discovered something very important. I was missing a little bit of material and I could almost see the lost demigods.

My pursuers were a pack of around 50 dogs. I tried to remember my mythology classes, back at camp. I had heard of 50 dogs...

Actaeon's dogs! Actaeon was unlucky enough to see Artemis naked. She then transformed him in a doe and his 50 dogs, unable to recognize him, chased him and ate him. However, they never had been bad, those dogs.

I could hear them coming. As I turned around to escape, I ran head-first into a boy around my age.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"No, I am the one sorry."

"Why-"

I didn't have the time to finish my sentence that I received a blow on my head. Before I lost consciousness, I heard an explosion.

~Delilah~

Arion had dropped me 1 kilometre away from a train station in the middle of nowhere. By travelling on the horse's back, I quickly understood that he could take me hundreds of kilometres away from Paris. We even had crossed lakes. I had never seen a landscape pass by so quickly. This horse was truly exceptional. However, I had no idea where I was.

To protect me, my mother always forbade me to travel out of France. I arrived soon enough to the small train station. I sat on a bench and put my head in my hands. How did I end up here? I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Hugo.

Merde, I thought. Qu'est-ce qu'il fout là, lui? I forced a smile. Maybe he could help me. How small is the world, right? Finding the boy I hate the most in the most lost and unknown place. How unlikely!

"What are you doing here?" he asked me.

"And you?" I said back, trying to show him that I was not the defenceless little girl he believed I was.

"I travel across Europe."

I found it suspicious. Plus, there was no adult with him.

After a few minutes of conversation, I learned that we were in Germany, somewhere between Berlin and Prague. Hugo was about to take the train to Vienna. There was a small halt in Prague. Then, he would continue and reach Romania, then Bulgaria and finally Greece. We would then come back to France by visiting many other countries. I decided I would go with him. I could stop in Greece. Maybe I will have more chances to find my mother there.

So we took the train together. Next stop, Prague! It felt weird to be so far from home. From France. But I felt a way I had never felt before. I had never experienced liberty that much. I liked it. Comfortably seated in my seat, I watched the landscape passing by through the window. Germany is a beautiful country.

Hugo was seated beside me and he was looking at me a bit too intensely and it made me feel somehow uneasy. I needed to get used to his presence. We were about to cross Europe together.

~Adelaide~

I woke up with a start. Everything was black around me. I was lying on a stone floor, cold and wet. I felt an equally wet bump of fur. I backed away carefully. What was that? Slowly, my eyes got used to the darkness and I was able to look around and locate myself.

I was in a dark cell. I watched to see what was the furry thing. Enodia! My dog! She was alive! I prudently got closer. She was breathing faintly and a flow of black blood was coming from a wound on her stomach.

"Enodia, no! Help! She's going to die! I need a doctor! Help!"

"They won't come."

I turned around, surprised. A shadow was seated in the cell next to mine. I approached to see better, but my tears made my vision blurry.

"Who are you? Please, I really need help!"

The shadow came closer and I could see it's face. It was a young woman in her twenties. She had flamboyant red hair and freckles. When she saw me, she was somehow startled.

"Who are you?" she asked me. "Are you a demigod?"

"I'm sorry?"

What was she talking about? What was a demigod? Something like Hercules?

"Eh... No... Well, I don't think so..."

She knit her eyebrows.

"Anyway, I can help you."

She handed me a vial containing a green liquid.

"Put a few drops on the wound," she recommended.

At the exact moment, the drops fell on Enodia's flesh, the wound healed instantly.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A gift from a friend. Listen, you absolutely need to escape. Your dog has great powers, she can help you. I have no chance to get out of here, unlike you. We do not have the same powers. When you'll be out, head for Greece. I have no idea where we are, but I have friends going there, too. Many people can also help you-"

At this moment, the cell door creaked. A young man dressed in black stepped forward and took her by the arm. The red-headed woman only had the time to say :

"Remember this name. Annabeth Chase."

When she had disappeared, I noticed that Enodia had recovered completely. She stood up and pressed a rock against the wall. A door opened.

Before leaving I looked in the direction of the now-empty cell. I promised myself to come back. I needed to save the only person in the world that hadn't been afraid of me in my whole existence.

~Percy~

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shitshitshitshit.

Those were the first thoughts to cross my mind when Annabeth and I heard the explosion. Instantly, we entered the ADHD-demigod-ninja mode. It had become a habit. Sometimes, only by hearing fireworks in New Rome, we had the reflex to place ourselves back to back, ready to defend our lives against any attacker. However, this time, we realized quickly that unsheathing our weapons and to glare at old ladies selling produce wasn't going to be very useful...

We exited running the grocery store, trying to determine from where the explosion was coming from. Rapidly, columns of smoke were billowing slowly towards the bright sky of Puerto Vallarta, while the ear-splitting sirens of firetrucks gave us an idea of the location of the blast.

Everything was pointing towards the fact that the port had been attacked. We ran towards our ship. Arrived at the port, Hazel and Frank were desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

"I am so sorry," Hazel exclaimed in a frenzy. "We never should have left the ship alone. We couldn't see what happened, I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Hazel, calm down, we'll discuss it later," Annabeth reassured her.

Annabeth already seemed to be taking care of the situation, her brain functioning way faster than mine.

"Could you control the Mist in the meantime? There are a lot of firefighters around, they mustn't decide to search the remains of the ship, they could find objects that could make them suspicious."

Instantly, Hazel's expression changed and, in the face of the critical situation, concentrated to shape the Mist at will. These powers were impressive, and quickly the firefighters were done extinguishing what they were seeing as a dumpster fire. They then left the scene without asking questions.

At that moment, we saw Leo running towards us, his hair a mess, Calypso right behind him.

"My baby!" Leo cried. "Daddy Leo is here for you!"

He ran desperately through the still-smoking remains of the ship. We were all used to Leo's somewhat extreme and over-passionate outbursts, and considering his immunity to fire, we let him go in without trying to keep him from doing so.

Meanwhile, the others were starting to arrive on the scene, all out of breath from their flat out sprint. Leo was trying to save all the objects he could. Festus was the first to be saved. The golden dragon didn't look like it had appreciated the experience, but it was still in working order. Jason, Nico and Will were helping Leo identifying what was left in the remains. Piper was reassuring Hazel and Frank while trying to understand what happened. Annabeth squeezed my hand: all this had to be an accident.

"From now on, we'll be able to see if we're going to be able to face another end of the world," she murmured.

Suddenly, looking around at my friends, I realized that Rachel still hadn't caught up with us.

"Guys, someone saw Rachel in the last few hours?"

All turned to face me. I immediately knew that she was in danger. Annabeth was quicker than me and lead me once again though the coloured streets of Puerto Vallarta.

After many hours of wandering, we had to face the fact that it was already too late to find Rachel. Annabeth couldn't find any suspicious trace of a horde of dogs who could have followed a person. Annabeth gazed at me with her gray eyes.

"Percy, you know it's not your fault. We will find her."

At the end of the day, we were all reunited on the docks, clearly upset. We were all in danger, and we knew it. I knew that we all had our doubts regarding the success of this mission, but I could also feel a sense of determination coming from all the courageous demigods surrounding me. I caught Nico's glance.

"She is not dead. I'm sure of it," he said.

I knew he wanted to reassure us and he almost succeeded.

I took in a deep breath. I always managed to bring back home safely everyone I loved. First my mother, then Annabeth, lastly Nico. I had to keep faith, I needed that so much.

"I cannot believe that they took Rachel, she's the only one without powers to defend herself," Hazel said again, distraught.

"Of course you realize this means war!" I exclaimed, trying to seem courageous.

Annabeth looked at me, holding in her laughter.

"Isn't that a quote from Bugs Bunny or something?"

"Yeah man, nice try, but Bugs Bunny? Really? Are you serious?" Leo added with a smirk

I suddenly realized how stupid my intervention was. Jason had always been better than me at inspiring speeches.

"Whatever, at least I tried. Let's get going, you know what I meant."

They all teasingly laughed at me. I maybe didn't succeed in creating a sense of vengeance and determination that I was aiming for, but at least we weren't beaten down. It was only a matter of time before we found the people responsible for Rachel's kidnapping. Then, we could make things right again.

We had promised ourselves that we would find her. We needed to reach Greece, but first of all, reach the Atlantic.


	11. The Long and Winding Road

~Sally~

I was washing the dishes and looking outside the window of my apartment. My grandchildren (I was very proud to say I was a grandmother) were asleep, but they were about to wake up from their nap. My husband, Paul, was sleeping, too. We passed the day in Central Park and we did a lot of walking, so everyone was tired. We thought we were done with small kids, since Estelle was almost 13 years old. However, for the last few days, I had to take care of Luke and Silena, which was not an easy task.

So, I was left alone with myself and with my always-growing distress. My son had a very important quest going on. He was risking his life for young children. And if the worst were to happen to him, I could imagine my pain or it's children's.

"Grandma?"

Little Silena just woke up. She came out of her room, her eyes still sleepy. She was holding her teddy bear. I dried my hands on my jeans and picked her up.

"Hello, miss," I said, replacing her hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes! I dreamed of candy and puppies. Then a huge monster came to eat me. But he was nice. We played together."

I chuckled and put her down. She ran back to her room to take her toys. Instead, she woke up Luke, who came out of his room looking tired, but not upset. He didn't want to take a nap since he was now 'grown-up' (he was seven), but he was so tired he fell asleep anyway.

The two kids started to play together. Silena was very good at puzzles, so she was doing one with her brother. She had her mother's intelligence. She had a fascinating ability to solve problems, in this case, the puzzle.

I was watching them playing when I heard someone calling me.

"Mom!"

"Percy?"

My son appeared in a rainbow in front of me. An iris message. I was used to those since Percy called me once a month using this way of communication, but every time I was startled. The children looked up, and when they saw their father they came closer. Silena tried to touch her father's face, but her hand just went through the rainbow.

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Silena! Hi, Luke! How are you doing?"

"We are doing good! How about you?" I asked.

"I'm happy to hear this! Children, are you nice to Grandma? Do you listen to her?"

"Yes, dad!"

Percy continued to ask questions to his children. I noticed he was avoiding talking about his quest, how he was doing and when would he come back. The children couldn't tell, but I saw that something was going on.

"Hey, kids, why don't you go see how Grandpa Paul is doing while I speak with your Dad?"

They ran away, leaving me alone with Percy.

"Tell me what's going on," I said.

"We are in trouble. Rachel disappeared, kidnapped probably, and our way of transportation was damaged. We need to find another one to get to Greece. I don't know what to do, Mom!"

"You'll find a way, as you always do."

"I mean," continued Percy, without minding my encouragements, "we cannot ask Nico to shadow-travel us to Greece. It's too far, we are too many, and Will will never let it happen. And the same thing for Frank. He cannot turn into a boat or anything..."

My heart broke as I watched Percy losing faith.

"And Leo? Can he do something?"

"Yeah, he said he knew someone, but it will take time. Demigods are maybe dying right now! And also-"

The rainbow turned briefly black, then Percy came back.

"I'm losing you," I said.

"I'll make it quick. So as I said Leo knows someone... Take us to... Time... Can't... Three demigods..."

The rainbow turned entirely black for too long, then it disappeared.

It never happened before. Something was wrong. I wasn't a demigod, but I knew it looked bad.

~Killian~

"Guys, I know you're following me. Show yourselves!"

I had left (more like escaped) the orphanage during the night. I thought no one saw me, but clearly James and Lewis were up for the adventure.

"It's not my fault. James ran away. I couldn't let him leave alone!"

"Why did you leave?" asked James.

"You wouldn't understand. Can you please leave me alone?"

It was around one in the morning now. I was walking on a small road. I was surrounded by trees and mountains. I wasn't scared, even if there was only the moon to light the road.

"Killian? I saw something in the woods..."

James was looking toward the trees, his face pale. I saw nothing. I felt a presence, but it was probably the animals living in the woods.

We continued to walk. For an hour I tried to convince them to go back. I could use my powers to control them, but I never tried it on humans so I didn't.

When the stars started to fade, I knew the boys a little better.

James was abandoned at a very young age and he passed his whole life in the same orphanage. He was ten. He loved historic novels and never missed a History class. He was good at school but preferred playing video games with his friends. He liked everyone in the orphanage and the girls really liked him.

James was obsessed with the colour blue. When he was eight, he tried to dye his hair with paint. The adults at the orphanage were very mad, but James remembered it as a very good joke and a fun time.

Lewis had a more troubled past. His parents used to hit him. They were really bad parents. Lewis changed foster home almost every three months. At a certain point, the social worker decided him to spare so much change and decided to put him in an orphanage until he reached his majority. Lewis was seventeen and saw James like the little brother he never had. He had bad grades and people made fun of him, calling him names. Only because he took care of James a little bit too much as a mother would.

He was quiet, but in his mind, there was a hurricane. He was fascinated by horror movies and paranormal stuff. He also believed in gods. Greek gods. He was convinced they still exist and they have children with mortal people. This is naturally not true.

Cars passed by us from time to time. The drivers looked at us, asking themselves if it was normal to see three young boys walking alone on a lost road early in the morning. I think that seeing Lewis reassured them.

"All right, Killian, where are we going? They'll start to get worried, back at the orphanage..." said Lewis.

"I don't know where I'm going. Go back if you want."

Lewis thought he was responsible for us. If something happened to us, it was his fault. Only because he was older. But I know that, deep down, he was really enjoying himself. He was forgetting his troubled past for a moment. James was jumping up and down, running on the road, feeling free for once in his life.


	12. Tampico

~Leo~

I was really mad at myself for leaving the submarine alone. I was also mad because I once again failed. I was aware that my friends were living in harsh conditions in the submarine and they couldn't wait to arrive in Greece. Now, we needed to find another way of transportation and it would take a lot of time.

Thankfully, I knew someone who could help us. A friend I met during a trip with Calypso. His name was Carlos and he worked in a ship factory. Carlos was a demigod, son of Vulcan and technically my half brother on the Roman side of the family. Mortals thought he was a chemist, but he really was preparing special and magical coatings for the ships.

My friends had all came back, except Rachel, that we couldn't find. I explained my plan. We had to take a plane. It was dangerous for Percy, but knowing that Jason was there might keep Zeus (or Jupiter, whatever) from knocking us out of the sky. They looked tired and discouraged. The sun was at its highest and it was really hot. I promised them we would get to Greece soon.

They didn't seem to believe me.

On the plane, everyone was tensed, especially Percy. He was holding on tight to Annabeth's hand. Nico, not at all afraid by death or eternal damnation, was sleeping, his head resting on Will's shoulder. A few minutes before landing, he woke up with a start.

"I had a dream," he said. "My dad, Hades. He said we were in great danger. But it's nothing compared to Rachel. She was captured, and now she's on her way to Greece."

"Did he tell you anything else? About the lost demigods or something?" asked Piper.

Nico replied no.

We had landed in Tampico. It was a pretty city, near the sea. Now, we needed to find Carlos.

***

Finding the shop was easy since everyone seemed to know it. It was located in a forgotten bit of the docks. We entered the place. There was a small yacht being built.

"Hello?" I called.

At first, no one answered. We started to head back to the entrance when we saw a young man coming out of the yacht. When he saw me, his face lit up. He came toward us, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Leo! What a good surprise!"

We shook hands and I presented him to my friends.

"Guys, this is Carlos. He can lend us a ship to sail to Greece!"

My friends looked relieved. Carlos showed us his shop and all the type of ships he had. He also showed us his lab, where he concocted magical potions to protect the ships.

Finally, Carlos showed us a very small yacht. It had a single sail and a small trap door to access the lower level. My jaw dropped. She was beautiful, but we would never have space to fit inside.

"Carlos, you've got to be kidding," I said, disappointed. "We are ten, and our group won't stop growing. We have a friend to rescue, plus many demigods."

"I thought you knew me better," said Carlos, mildly hurt. "Follow me."

So we did. And what I saw took my breath away.

Carlos opened the trap door and we went down a few steps. It was huge, really. This level had a living room with a 52 inch TV with a great sound system and leather couches. There was a spacious kitchen with lots of drawers (I heard Calypso squealing at the view). There also was a long wood table with enough chairs for us to be all seated at the same time, and still we had extra chairs.

Behind the staircase, there was the engine room. From there I could sail the ship without going on the deck. Carlos pressed a blue button and explained to me what it was for.

"If you press this button, there will be a projection of you on the deck. You can stay here to sail the ship, but if you see anywhere near mortals, you can press the button, to prevent them to have a heart attack after seeing a ghost ship."

"Ghost ship," repeated Nico, grinning.

Carlos looked at him strangely and Will did a facepalm.

"Anyway," Carlos continued, still keeping an eye on Nico. "Come with me, there's still another level."

Below, there was a long corridor with doors on both sides of it. There were six rooms with king-size beds. At the end of the corridor was a common room that could be used as a dormitory. There was a small round table and a small TV, a couch and a bow-window that gave a view of the sea.

This ship was really perfect. It was cozy and modern in the inside, and quiet on the outside.

"Thanks a lot, Carlos. This is perfect!"

"You're welcome! Always here for old friends! The ship is called Penelope. She comes with a special coating protecting you from leaks and damages caused both by the weather or monsters."

I shook Carlos's hand one last time before saying goodbye. The others were already taking rooms and undoing their suitcases.

We were ready to go to Greece.

~Grover~

It was so much like Percy. Leaving everything behind to save the ones he loved. I found it both admirable and incredibly stupid. Since he left, panic had settled at Camp Half-Blood and at Camp Jupiter. When the population had discovered that the generation's greatest saviours had disappeared, they went nuts. Most of them locked themselves up in their houses. For some obscure reason I did not understand, a tsunami of people rushed to the supermarkets to stock up on toilet paper and canned beans.

I needed to search in Jason's paperwork to understand what convinced them to leave. I first went to the house in which they stayed after the wedding ceremony. I found the house empty. After the inspection of the house, I found on one of the nightstands a letter explaining what happened.

Reyna had however managed to take care of the population. She now needed to play Percy and Jason's roles, in addition to her own. I helped her the best I could, but Reyna has always been a strong, independent woman.

We had started by improving the fortifications and the protection of Camps Half-Blood and Jupiter. The Hunters and the Amazons came to help. Chiron helped us to organize the defences, but he looked preoccupied.

"Grover, you need, to contact Percy. Something big, dangerous is stirring. It will be a great war. This time, I doubt the gods will be of any help."

I had to make sure that Percy was not putting himself in danger for nothing. We were still sharing our empathy link and I wasn't ready to live again the Percy-risks-his-own-life-in-Tartarus experience without consenting to it first. Dud, that was wild.

I wasn't helpful anymore at camp. Chiron had asked me and the other satires to recruit as many demigods as possible. We needed to take them all, even if they were too young. They would be the first targets.

Artemis had talked to Thalia. According to her, the gods were trying to claim their children the more possible. We also tried to bring back the demigods who had left the camp to live their lives. Clarisse, for example, did not seem so happy with the idea of risking her life again. Demigods were preparing for a war to come. The first war we were to fight alone.

~Adelaide~

I escaped the prison way to easily. Enodia knew a passage... How could my dog know a passage? I was a bit traumatized. I found myself in an unknown city. Well, unknown until I saw the Parthenon. My kidnappers took me to Athens.

I had no money. I was disoriented. Luckily, Enodia looked to know where we were going. She took me to a small touristic inn who accepted animals to stay. We had to get off of the bigger streets. Athens is a grey city, with a lot of pollution. However, I felt pretty good. For the first time, I felt free.

I could finally sleep all night. The next morning, I started to worry. What was I going to do? I had no idea about the city and I had no money. I heard knocking on my door.

The old woman who greeted me yesterday was waiting for me.

"Hello sweetheart!"

I knit my eyebrows. Why was she calling me like that? She barely knew me!

"You have a big day ahead! Get ready, your mother is waiting for you somewhere in the city."

"What? My mother is here? How could she find me? I do not want to see her. She doesn't like me."

"It's not the mother you're thinking about. Come on! Hurry!"


	13. The Hills Are Alive

~Killian~

"My feet hurt," James complained. "Are we there yet?"

Lewis sighed and picked James up to carry him on his back. He pointed a white church in the distance.

"See that? That's where we're going. We will ask the priest to keep us for the night."

We had left the forest. We were now surrounded by green hills. It was late spring, so everywhere we watched we could see patches of bright yellow dandelions. With the sun about to go down, it was really beautiful.

I had no idea of where we were. I hoped we would find something interesting soon, like a known city. I also hadn't eaten a proper meal in three days, so I was starting to feel dizzy.

After another hour of walking, we finally arrived at the church. It was the centre of a very small village. There were a few people leaving what looked like the place for touristic information. Or the place you go to ask for directions when you are lost.

We went to the back of the church and found the presbyterian. The house was the same colour as the church and it was facing a cemetery. The tombstones were old and the writings were almost gone. I could however guess dates, like 1899 or 1909. The people buried here died a long time ago. I passed near the tombstone of a toddler deceased at the age of one month and 23 days. He was so young, it was possible to write his date of death with precision.

I couldn't describe the place as creepy. It was sunny, the grass was taken care of and the church was decent. I really wanted to lay in the thick, soft grass and watch the Sun set behind the hills.

I knocked on the door of the house. We waited, then a friendly-looking priest opened the door.

"Hi, Father," said Lewis. "We are looking for shelter for the night. Could we stay here?"

"Of course, my children! This house is the house of all God's children!"

Lewis looked at us and decided it was safe to go in, so we followed the priest inside.

"I am Father Ferdinand," he said. "I will show you your room. I only have one left, so you will have to sleep in the same place. I will bring a mattress for you."

Later that night, we shared a meal with Father Ferdinand and a novice, Gabriel. He was to become a priest. He looked anxious and less talkative than Father Ferdinand.

Father Ferdinand was very nice. He asked us questions but didn't push when we answered vaguely. Apparently, three young boys alone in the countryside was very normal for him.

Still, I had a weird feeling. I couldn't describe well, but there was something not right. I pushed back the feeling and decided to enjoy Father Ferdinand's hospitality. After the night prayer, we went to bed.

I woke up in the middle of the night. It took a few minutes before the feeling kicked back in. James was snoring softly, and Lewis was... Lewis was gone. I got up and went to look for him. I was afraid something bad had happened to him.

I found him seated on a bench in the church. He was looking at a statue of a woman. She had a golden disk above her head. Lewis looked like he was crying.

I walked towards him, trying not to startle him. When he saw me he dried his tears. I pretended I didn't see.

"Do you believe in God, Killian?" he asked me. "Any god?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Why do you?" I answered with a question.

"It comforts me," he sighed. "See Mary? She took care of Jesus the best as she could. Mary is the mother of all mothers."

"And your mother never took care of you... And you find comfort in churches, with God, Mary and all?"

"Exactly."

We fell silent. Lewis went to light a candle and stayed a long time staring at the fire. I couldn't break the silence. I knew Lewis resented his parents, but I didn't know he had such difficulty living with if, even after all these years.

Then we heard James screaming, panicked, and we ran back to the room.

~Jason~

At last, something was going the way I wanted. To lose our way of transportation was a shock for everyone. To lose Rachel was a bigger one. Thank the gods, Leo was full of resources.

It was very cozy, here, in the Penelope. It almost looked like a home, if you ignored the windows allowing us to see the ocean floor. We were currently on our way to Greece.

In the common room, we had put a big map on the table. We were all bent over it, listening to Percy. He was explaining the currents and how they would affect our journey. When he was finished, we started to plan what we would do once in Greece.

"Do you have an idea of where we need to look?" asked Hazel.

"No,' I replied. "Does anyone had a dream, lately?"

No one answered.

"But what if Rachel is dead? What do we do?" Calypso asked, her voice trembling.

"She is not dead," assured Nico. "I would have felt it. I can travel to the Underworld if we need more information."

"No way," said Will, rising from his chair.

Nico looked at Will with such intensity he sat back.

"I need to say that Will is right," Percy put in. "It's not the time to split up. We need to stay united if we want to succeed. You can go to the Underworld only if it's our only option."

"Guys, I'm an adult now. I can shadow travel when I want. Stop acting like I am still a little kid. I want to help you, and that's the only way I can find information for you. By doing 'underworldly' stuff."

"Please, do not start a fight, it's really not the time," said Piper. Was she charm-speaking? "I know that times are hard. But we need to stay calm."

The tension left momentarily.

"Alright," I said. "Once in Greece, we need to find Rachel. We will track down monsters, maybe they will lead us to her."

"And the three demigods she painted?" remembered Annabeth. "They need our help, too."

I was shocked. I had totally forgotten their existence. Also, the paintings were lost in the explosion. We only had our memories to help us.

"Yes, we need to look for them, too," said Percy, understanding I hadn't planned this. "But Rachel is our top priority now."

Everyone nodded, accepting the plan.

For the first time in years, I had not a single bit of hope.


	14. The Woman In The Black Cloak

~Adelaide~

I had prepared a bag, like the lady from the inn had asked me. When I was about to go out, the lady told me to follow the road in front of me to arrive at the place where my mother was waiting for me. She had told me that I would meet my true mother, the one who gave me birth. I thanked her and followed the road she had indicated, Enodia following me closely.

As soon as I was sure that the lady couldn't see me, I took another road, walking in the opposite direction to the one she had indicated to me. I had no intention of meeting my mother. The imbecile gave me up as soon as I was born, how could I forgive her for that? It was completely stupid, wanting to meet me now.

I had other plans. Now that I was alone with my dog, I needed to hoard. Then, I would find a place to hide so no one could find me. I had never loved anyone, and no one ever loved me. Frankly, I was fine with that.

I found a supermarket. I realized there was no more money in my pockets. Too bad, I was left with one option: shoplifting. I got in without being noticed. I walked in the aisles, taking things from the shelves and putting them in my bag. Then, I walked to the exit, looking natural.

At the exit, an alarm went off.

Shit.

I started to run as fast as I could, but the cashier was following me.

Shit again!

The cashier alerted a police officer and he joined the chase. I really needed to get out of here. I took smaller streets and tried to lose them, but they stayed close to me. Too close.

Suddenly, I heard a woman in an alley. She gestured for me to follow her. It was my best chance, considering the trouble in which I was. I followed her and she made me enter a small apartment. The woman was wearing a black cloak, which was covering her face. Kids, never trust a woman with a black cloak, unless you are being followed by the police!

The apartment was small and the decoration was... Different. It looked like I was in a fortune teller's house. The woman sat on a chair behind a small table. She removed her cloak and I could finally see her face. She had light skin and black wavy hair. Under her strange cloak, she was wearing a red dress, touching the floor. An aura of power and mystery radiated from her.

Near her, I felt full of remorse and regret. I felt guilty after abandoning the parents who took care of me, guilty of not going to see my mother. I thought about the young girl who saved Enodia

I had promised to help her.

"Hello, Adelaide."

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I am your mother, Adelaide. Some call me Hecate, others prefer the goddess of magic and nightmares."

~Hazel~

I woke up after a little nap. I savoured this moment of half asleep, half awake only a few seconds. Nausea kicked in, as bad as when I fell asleep. I was seasick. I always was when I was at sea, and it was like a boulder I needed to carry. I hated this because I felt like I could throw up any second, and two because it left me useless. I couldn't stay on the deck and help Leo as everyone did.

The medication Will gave me had no long-term effect. I felt kind of better for at best 20 minutes.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to concentrate on something else than my stomach. Being seasick reminded me of being on the Argo II. I know it's weird.

Behind my eyelids, I could see the sea shining under the sun and the heat caressing my skin. I could see Festus' head, gold and blinding. I remembered fighting on the deck, eating in the mess hall, smelling salted water and seaweed.

I decided to get up despite feeling horribly sick. I met my friends in the common room, at the other end of the corridor. At the table were seated Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Frank. As the others since the beginning of the journey, they looked depressed. We all felt useless. The best we could do was to sit and wait for our arrival in Greece.

"Hazel," said Frank. "How are you feeling."

"Horrible," I answered, taking a seat beside him. "Not different than when I was on the Argo II."

An uncomfortable silence settled.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Will is sleeping. The others are on the deck."

We all sat silently, looking at each other. What was that for? Suddenly, Grover's head appeared, floating above the table. We were all startled for an instant. Behind Grover, we could see the buildings of New Rome, and Reyna, trying to decide whether she would come and speak to us or just carry on with her occupations.

"What were you thinking, guys?" said Grover. "I was super worried! I thought something bad happened to you! Do you know that I get worried sometimes? You cannot do that! I am your friend or not? Never do that again!"

"Look, Gover, I'm sorry-" started Jason.

"I'm happy to see you too, man," Percy put in.

"You are impossible, Percy..."

Grover then noticed where we were and his expression changed drastically.

"Woah! Pretty ship you have! How are you doing?"

We updated him on our latest achievements. We talked about our previous ship exploding, Rachel disappearing, Carlos giving us this one and our plan of going to Greece.

"Oh man, poor Rachel! I'm sure you'll find her, though! Good luck!"

Grover turned around and notices Reyna, standing awkwardly behind him. He invited her to join the conversation. She stared coldly at Jason.

"Hey, Reyna, how are you?" he asked, trying to avoid her gaze.

"There have been no attacks or important events in New Rome. We suspended the quests in both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. So yeah, I'm fine."

Jason tried to apologize for leaving without telling anybody, but Reyna cut him off. She was mad. And Reyna is scary when she is mad. The Iris message ended and we were left in awkward silence.

"I'm going to take some fresh air," said Jason, leaving the room.

"I'm going to ask Will if he has pills against seasickness left," I declared, leaving too.

The atmosphere here was getting unsupportable.


	15. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is ridiculously short. Don't worry we'll post soon other chapters :)

~Adelaide~

She could not be my mother. She didn't even look like me... Well, maybe a little bit. But she had abandoned me! Okay, that could explain a lot of things but I knew it was impossible. Hecate! Really? A fortune teller asking me for money, maybe? The Greek gods were only invented by poor imbeciles without an education.

"You seem to take me for a stupid girl. Thanks for saving me from the police, but I cannot believe your lies. Anyway, I don't have money for you."

"You are so funny! You don't need me to save yourself from the police, you could have used your powers or Enodia could have helped you. I see she's doing well."

This fortune teller really started to freak me out. She knew Enodia and knew that she had been injured. But what about this whole 'use your powers' thing?

"Thanks a lot and see ya!"

I walked to the door with my dog, I needed to leave this eerie place. Maybe the police weren't that bad after all?

"Honey, we lost too much time. I lost too much time. You need to understand some things. I think you want to understand what's going on with you? The Minotaur, your kidnapping, why everyone runs away from you since your birth? Why can't you see the truth? You are my daughter."

She was starting to convince me. Maybe she was telling the truth, after all. Maybe I needed to listen to her. I needed answers so badly!

When I tried to speak, she did before me.

"Do not ask questions, I will explain. Things are not going well on the gods' side. I don't have the time to explain to you this part, you are not involved in this. The important is that we need help to fight against an unknown menace. Many demigods have already embarked on the greatest quest in history. Those demigods took part in the most memorable battles and events of the last years. They are very powerful people, and I already helped them, a few years ago. Even though they think that they have everything they need to succeed, they do not know that their quest will be unpredictable."

I caught my breath. Where was she going with this? How was this related to me?

"They think that they know every technique and that they are invincible. But they fought their first battle years ago. It will destroy them. Long story short, they need you. And other people, too. And for the first time, a daughter of Hecate will be a great hero. I believe in you, you won't disappoint me. Go, and make me proud!"

~Percy~

It had been a few days since we left Mexico. I had forgotten the pleasure of being at sea. Feeling the sea, the salt and knowing precisely where we were. I loved it. Despite this, we were disoriented. In the other quests, we had a prophecy, we had a goal. We knew what we were looking for. Now, we thought we were looking for the Oracle of Delphi, but without Rachel, we were a bit stuck. Okay, very stuck. We also needed to save unknown demigods. We only had paintings of them.

We weren't very happy on the ship, but everyone did their chores to compensate, without taking care of the others. We were used to living in a group. We had stopped going to camp a few years ago.

Annabeth and I spent a lot of time in our cabin, where she read and did researches. It was time to go to bed and I knew she was going to read until late in the night since she was almost done with her book. The most stressful part, maybe. I kissed her goodnight.

"Percy?"

"Yes?"

"What are you thinking about this quest? I feel like something is not right. I can't stop thinking about it. No god spoke to us. Usually, we have information, dreams. Since the one Nico had in the plane, nothing. I feel like we're walking straight into a trap."

"Listen, I don't understand either. I will try to talk to my dad tonight."

"Good luck. I love you."

"Me too."


	16. Dreams

~Delilah~

We had reached Dresden. It was a pretty little city with a lot of tourists. Reading the tourist information, I learned that it was badly bombed during WWII, but everything was rebuilt after the events. We could see the difference between the old and new stones on the buildings.

I had started to warm up to Hugo's presence. However, I didn't fully trust him yet. He was weird, he looked at me intensely for long periods of time. Anyway, I needed him. I was lost and I didn't know Germany at all.

My mom still hadn't talked to me since last time. Sometimes, I thought about France and to the quiet holidays, I should have had. How it seemed far away.

Hugo and I were walking in the city while waiting for our train to come. It was beautiful, the day was quiet. We entered in a small coffee shop. Surprisingly, there was no other client than us. Weird, since there were so many tourists outside.

A lady came and we ordered our food. She spoke German but switched to English when she realized that we didn't understand her. We ordered sausages and potatoes. A few minutes later, she came back with our plates. When she leaned to put my plate on the table, a wave of cheap perfume and a weird rotten smell attacked my nostrils. She leaned over me and whispered in my ear.

"Enjoy your meal, daughter of Demeter."

I got up quickly, ready to run for my life, but the lady was quick and caught my arm.

"Where do you think you're going, pretty child? Maybe I should eat you first!"

~Percy~

That night, I dreamed of my father for the first time in a long time. In my dream, I was under the ocean, in Poseidon's palace. It had been entirely rebuilt since the last war. It was breathtaking, but I had no time to observe it more in detail. My father stood in front of me, wearing his eternal Hawaiian shirt. He smiled at me, but then he knitted his eyebrows, worried.

"Percy! It's been a long time. I hoped to see you more often... Ah! Adults and their responsibilities!"

For a god, my life surely looked awfully short. Sometimes I found myself wondering what would have happened if I accepted Zeus's gift at the end of the war against the Titans. Everything would have been so different.

"Hi Dad, it's an honour."

"I see you haven't lost your sense of responsibilities. This may be the last time we talk before a long time. We have big problems. Some minor divinities are disappearing and we don't know why. We are very concerned. Zeus wants us to lock ourselves in Mount Olympus. He's afraid something might happen to us, too. You need to find what's threatening us."

"You don't understand what could have kidnapped Rachel, either?"

"No, but don't give up! I have faith in you. You succeeded in so many quests in the past that you have all my support."

"I will do my best."

Poseidon's face vanished gradually and I woke up next to Annabeth. We opened our eyes simultaneously.

"I finally saw my father."

"And I finally saw my mother."

"Annabeth didn't take the time to explain her dream to me, we needed to talk to the others as soon as possible. We dressed up quickly. Today I would wear a camp shirt. Even if I stopped going to camp a few years ago, I still wore the shirt. It reminded me of the constant danger and the lives that were lost while protecting the gods.

We headed to the table. The others were coming out of their rooms. Apparently we were all woken up at the same time. Nico and Will came closer, looking shocked. Leo, Calypso, Hazel and Frank we already seated around the table. Piper and Jason were the last to join us.

"Did you dream, lately?" I asked.

All answered yes by a sign of the head.

Jason started with his dream.

"My father explained that all the gods are locked up on mount Olympus. However many are already missing. Iris, the rainbow goddess, is among them. We can't communicate using Iris messages anymore. He also told me that we need to find the three demigods Rachel talked about."

"My mother told me," explained Annabeth, "that the person or the thing responsible for all this is very clever and that it will be difficult to beat it. It is nearly impossible to catch a god, and it caught many. It's like if, after each capture, the thing becomes more powerful."

"Mars warned me about a great battle coming soon. And he told me that the forces won't be equal. That's all I know," said Frank.

It was Will's turn to talk.

"I think it is the first time I saw Apollo without a smile. He told me he couldn't find the spirit of the Oracle or Rachel. He looked worried because he is scared other gods will find a way to leave Olympus and get caught. Zeus cannot keep everyone inside."

Everyone who had a dream had spoken. We now had a little bit more information. We were no longer walking in darkness. When everyone looked a little bit reassured, Nico stood up.

"My father also talked to me, tonight. He told me he didn't see Rachel in the Underworld. He will keep an eye open to see if she' still alive. However, many demigods died not so long ago. They say they have been sent for an impossible quest to find the Oracle of Delphi."

Jason became as white as a ghost. He took his head with his hands.

"Those demigods," he whispered, "it's my fault if they're dead. I sent them to this impossible mission."

A tear rolled down his cheek. Piper took his arm to help him get up. They walked back to their room. Jason needed to rest.

We were all shaken but at least we knew what was waiting for us. We had a double mission: to find the Oracle and to find what was causing all this and why.

~Rachel~

I didn't know how long I had been in this cell. It was always dark. I also didn't know why I was there. But I had a little idea. I had been interrogated. My kidnappers wanted to know everything on the quest. At first I resisted, but they had beaten me, so I told everything.

Since I arrived here, my oracle powers had come back. Actually, I don't know how that happened, but it was as if my kidnappers gave them back to me. They sat me on a chair and the fits came back, with the green smoke and everything. All the properties of the last decade came back. Since I never remember what I say during these moments, only my kidnappers took advantage of it.

Since then, I was fulminating in my cell. A young boy came to give me food three times a day. I was ready to give anything to know what I had said. Maybe an important prophecy? Maybe I told the future of my friends? I hated being unable to help them.

I also thought often about the girl who had been in the cell next to mine. I had instantly recognized one of the girls from my dream. I hoped she made it alive and that she reached Annabeth. Maybe she could give them information on where I was.

Maybe my friends were still at sea. Maybe they died in Puerto Vallarta.

I kicked the wall and cried in frustration. I needed to do something.


	17. Under Attack

~Killian~

James's cry for help sent chills down my spine. Lewis and I ran towards the bedroom. I couldn't believe what I saw. A winged chicken lady was clawing at James's face. He was protecting himself with his arms, which were scratched and bloody. His eyes were thighs shut.

Lewis what's the first to react. He took the chair near the door and smacked the monster behind the head. It turned around and hissed at us. It flew to Lewis who tried to defend himself with the chair. The monster tried to reach Lewis's face, but he kept fighting.

I understood what he was about to do just in time. He pushed the winged chicken lady towards the window. As soon as she was outside, I closed it quickly. The monster tried to come back in, but it ran head-first in the glass. Thank God it didn't shatter. The thing flew away, clearly dizzy.

Lewis slid to the floor, exhausted.

"You're bleeding," I said.

With a sign of the head he made me understand that it was nothing and we needed to take care of James. Talking about James, he was in shock and badly injured. The poor boy was shivering.

"It's okay, James," I said. "You are safe now."

"What the hell did you do to that eagle?" asked Lewis. "Eagles are not that ferocious."

"That wasn't an eagle," I said, surprised. "It was like a lady with wings. It had legs and arms and claws. Her body was covered in feathers. And she was ugly."

"What are you talking about? Is something wrong with your eyes? That was clearly an eagle. Tell him, James!"

James mumbles something that sounded like 'it was an eagle, you idiot.'

"I'm going to wake Father Ferdinand up," I said.

What was going on with me? I saw the creature, too, and I was sure it was not an eagle. It was too big to be one, to begin with.

Father Ferdinand washed James's scratches, who turned out to be minor and superficial. He let us go the day after the incident. We thanked him and continued to walk toward unknown countries.

But James wasn't doing well. He couldn't stop shivering. Lewis had a fixed look. They were both traumatized. I had an idea on how to heal them, but I hoped there was another way.

After two days, I couldn't take it anymore. Lewis spoke during his sleep and James woke up screaming. I had an idea about what to do, but I couldn't gather the courage to do it. I had to hypnotize my two friends to make them forget what happened to them, or at least to change their memories of the trauma.

I had never hypnotized someone in another context than a show at the circus. The effects were temporary and the people from the audience had to consent. They were tested before to make sure they would respond well. Not everyone could be hypnotized successfully. Something felt wrong. I felt like if I used my powers on my friends, I would trespass on their minds. However, their psychological states seemed to deteriorate by the hour. I had to do it. I promised myself that I would come clean and tell them right after it was done.

"Guys, I need you to listen to me. Look at me in the eyes and repeat after me."

I hypnotized them, made them forget the incident. I put in their memories a quiet night, with lots of sleep. When I was finished, the two boys looked at me, a bit disoriented. I could see the difference. They blinked fast for a few seconds.

"Sorry man," said Lewis. "What were you saying?"

"Hey, cheer up! Why do you look like you saw someone die?" added James.

I choked on my words. I couldn't tell them. Even if I promised. They must never know.

"I'm fine, guys, I'm just a bit tired. Let's get going."

~Frank~

Since last night, everyone seemed more confident. I was happy, too. I was starting to get impatient. As a son of Mars, I guess I had a need for action. Leo started joking again, which was a really good sign.

The only problem was Jason. Since his break down, he didn't come out of his room. When we asked about him to Piper, she always answered by "he's sleeping" or "he's doing better." We were worried.

We had spread a map on the table of the common room. We were deciding our next stop. It was pretty obvious. We needed to go to Greece, where the Oracle originated from as well as the gods. However, we had no idea where were the three demigods Rachel had talked about. We really hoped they knew what they were doing and that we would find them somewhere in Europe.

"So I think we all remembered the fun we had last time we sailed the Mediterranean Sea," said Leo. "A bunch of monsters didn't stop us when we were teens, I don't see why it would stop us now."

"The last time, you knew what was waiting for you on the other side. Mainly me in a jar and an evil primordial goddess. The last time, you had a prophecy." Nico said. What a pessimist.

"I have to agree with Nico, unfortunately," added Annabeth. "We are in total darkness."

"Didn't the nice guy in Mexico told us the ship was protected with magic?" I asked.

"Yes, but magic has its limits. It can maybe protect us against one or two monsters, but not the entire populations of the Mediterranean Sea," said Leo.

"We have weapons and we have powers," Will put in. "We are more than you were when you first went. I don't think it will be that difficult."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, please. Don't be too confident. Too much confidence can be bad," said Percy.

Will blushed and coughed.

"I don't think it will be that impossible, then."

"This is not our first battle. We can do it," I said.

And I meant it.

~Delilah~

When the woman said these words, I realized that her legs weren't legs, but ugly and horrible snakes.

-Arrrrrggh! Qu'est-ce que c'est?

"EW! What is that!?"

Hugo looked as horrified as I was. The creature answered.

"I am Echnida, poor child. Since your stupid mother is no longer here to protect you, I am free to eat you if I want."

Hugo came back to his senses before me and he started to look in his bag and took out a long sword. I was trying to free myself from Echnida who still had a strong grip on my arm. Hugo swung his sword to reach the creature. He only succeeded to infuriate her.

She turned toward him and hissed.

"Stay out of this, mortal. You're not worth being eaten by me."

The monster took hold of my arm and pulled me towards the kitchen. I tried to escape, but there was nothing to do, she was too strong. Hugo stumbled into the kitchen and stabbed Echnida's tail with his sword. She cried painfully and let go of my arm.

I ran to take shelter under a counter. I needed to do something, but what? Being the daughter of the crop goddess wouldn't help me in this situation. I needed to think quickly because Hugo was starting to look tired and out of breath. Echnida hit him multiple times.

I concentrated. If I succeeded to make grow something maybe I could trap Echnida. I had never tried to use any power. I know, it was strange, since I was the daughter of a goddess. But since I had never been attacked by a monster and I wanted to act like a normal girl, I had never tried.

I thought about plants, grain fields. Nothing. Hugo was still fighting, but he was injured. I needed to act now. However, nothing worked. Hé merde... I needed to find something else. There was a metal plate on the counter. I took it and faced the monster.

At the same moment, the snake hit Hugo, who fell backwards and hit his head on the counter. The creature was about to kill him. Suddenly, a plant came out of the ground and wrapped around the serpent's tail. Echnida was surprised and tried to free herself, but more and more plants wrapped around her arms, her body, her head. She fought, but she didn't succeed to free herself from the plants in her mouth. Echnida cried one last time, then she exploded in golden powder.

I hurried at Hugo's side. He was lying on the floor. He was trying to catch his breath, but he had no serious injury. Blood was flowing from a small cut on his head.

"I wasn't expecting this," he breathed.

And then he lost consciousness.


	18. Athens

~Adelaide~

If I told you that I wasn't confused and that I had figured out everything, it would be a lie. I didn't know if I could trust the lady, but her story was oddly credible and explained a whole lot of things about my life.

I left the building with Enodia. I decided to enjoy Greece for a while. I could find a nice alley to sleep at night and hang out at the beach during the day. I could make necklaces with shells and sell them to make a bit of money! I had so much ambition but so little talent...

Without warning, Enodia started to run. I tried to call her, but there was nothing to do. I decided to follow her. If I lost her, I don't know what I would do, especially if she was some kind of magical dog.

Enodia ran a lot. She took me out of the city. That was not how I arrived in Athens. Far away, I could see Enodia charging a boy. She made him fall.

"Enodia stop it! Oh my god, what are you doing are you crazy!?" I shouted, shocked at her behaviour.

I ran to the boy. He didn't look hurt, just very surprised by the situation. Enodia was licking his face. Two boys were standing over the boy on the ground and looked as surprised. They didn't know what to do. I pulled Enodia's necklace and freed the boy.

"I am so sorry!" I apologized while helping the boy to get up. "She doesn't act like this often. Actually, she never acted like this ever..."

The boy passed his fingers through his dirty dark hair. He looked young. Maybe ten?

"That's okay," he said. "I'm not hurt."

There was an awkward silence. I presented my hand so he could shake it.

"My name's Adelaide. I just arrived in Athens and I've been through weird shit."

The boy laughed softly. Maybe at my straightforwardness. He shook my hand.

"My name is Killian. I'm from Italy and I've had a very okay life. This is Lewis and James, my friends."

The two boys with him waved at me.

"Well, that was nice to meet you! Have a good life I guess?" I said

What the hell? What was wrong with me? I started to walk away. After a few steps, I noticed that Enodia was following the three boys. I called her, but she stayed behind them. I grabbed her by the necklace, but she wouldn't move.

"Come on, girl! We need to go!"

Stay together.

The words rang in my head like an order. I turned my head to see who could have said that. I saw that Killian was looking as confused as I was.

"You heard that too," I mouthed.

He nodded.

Look for Demeter's daughter. Look for the Seven. Save Olympus. You are the chosen ones.

~Delilah~

I insisted to take Hugo to the hospital. I invented an excuse, obviously. He fell from a tree. I don't think they believed me, but they wouldn't have liked it if I had told them the real story. When Hugo woke up, I asked him about what he meant before he lost consciousness. He told me he didn't remember. He didn't seem to remember the snake lady or me being the daughter of Demeter either.

After two days in the hospital, he felt better. He told me he wanted to call his family to tell them he was all right. I found it weird since he never spoke about his family before today. He asked me to leave him alone while he called his family, which I did.

After a few minutes, he was still on the phone. I was too curious and I really wanted to know what he had to tell to these people who he didn't see for several weeks and who he didn't look to care for that much. I put my ear against the door and could hear a bit of the conversation.

"I swear she is fantastic! I never thought that a girl... could be that fantastic. She still needs... But I'm sure she would be capable of... Yes, I will be there soon... I will do my best."

What was he talking about? It sure wasn't of my business. However, I was curious. When his call was over, I entered his room.

"Deli, we need to go. We are late on our schedule. I suggest we take the plane to Greece. This way we will have the time to visit Athens without forgetting anything.

"Fine, but we need to pay for the tickets..."

"That's taken care of by... My father. He planned everything."

Two days later, we were on a plane, heading to Athens. Hugo wouldn't stop telling me how beautiful the city was. I started to find his attitude strange. Who was his father to be able to buy tickets that easily and why was it so important to visit Athens? It wasn't hard to believe that the city was beautiful, but come on...

Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting our descent. Please fasten your seat belt, make sure your luggage is safely stored in the compartment overhead or under the seat in front of you. Thank you to remove your personal earphones. Thank you to have chosen us for your flight.

Hugo put his hand on mine. I tried to act as if I hadn't noticed. What was he doing? He couldn't be interested in me... Oh and whatever! We weren't at school and no one could see us.


	19. The Meeting

~Piper~

We were all doing our job on the ship. Each with their significant other. I was on the deck, feeling the sea breeze in my face. Jason was seated near me, reading a book. Everything was different from our first journey to Greece. Almost twelve years had passed. We were young and we couldn't even imagine that someday we would be back here at this moment. It had been so difficult the first time...

I still could see coach Hedge with his baseball bat, shouting insults. I remembered Festus, and the time I had woken him up. The snow goddess. I saw the moment when Hazel succeeded to control the Mist for the first time when Percy and Annabeth had fallen asleep in the stables. When they fell into Tartarus and we were left alone with the Athena Parthenos. She now stood on Half-Blood Hill. I could see Leo's death. When he came back with Calypso. We wanted to kiss him and beat him up at the same time.

I sighed. Thanks to us, the world had survived.

My smile vanished when I remembered that we had a similar mission today.

Jason looked at me, suspicious.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Suddenly, the ship shook violently and I fell. Jason threw his book away and rushed to help me.

"Are you alright? What was that?"

I didn't have the time to answer that the ship shook again. I got to my feet to see what we were about to fight. All the others were on the deck.

A gigantic tentacle whipped the air. Others were already wrapping around the ship. We all looked at each other and with a sign of the head, we knew what we had to do.

~Will~

It was beautiful and terrible at the same time. I didn't know if the ship would survive, but everybody was fighting and knew exactly what to do. Nico, Calypso and I were in awe and were trying to help the best way we could. We had the famous Seven from the prophecy in front of our eyes.

Leo was the first to go back in. He headed to the control centre and was throwing explosives and Greek Fire balls, whatever thing that could injure the creature. Percy and Jason were combining their powers to create a cyclone that was slowing down the monster and kept him from hitting the ship. Piper was using her charmspeak. Annabeth was slashing the air with her sword when a tentacle came to close. Hazel was controlling the mist to trick the monster into aiming non-existent masts. Franks had turned himself in a great white shark and was injuring the creature.

Nico was standing by my side with Calypso. He was trying to use his sword, but without success.

"What is that?" I cried over the noise.

"It's weird, but I'd say it's a Kraken," answered Calypso.

I thought about my mythology classes back at camp.

"Krakens aren't creatures from Greek mythology..."

Annabeth came into the conversation.

"I think it has something to do with Norse mythology. I have a cousin who..."

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air by an enormous tentacle.

Percy looked as Annabeth left the deck, a horrified expression on his face.

"Annabeth!"

He ran to the Kraken, and punched by a huge wave he swung Riptide and cut the monster's tentacle. Annabeth fell into the void. Jason flew and caught her before she could fall on the deck.

She was safe and alive, and the Kraken was injured. With Leo's bombs, Frank's attacks and the cyclone, the creature was starting to get tired. The tentacles started to go back into the water and the Kraken vanished into the dark waters.

Then I could see the aftermath of the battle. The ship was in pretty bad shape and my friends were injured. Being the only doctor aboard, I prepared a room to take care of everyone. Leo would be repairing the Penelope.

After two days, everyone was starting to recover. Leo rushed into my improvised clinic and cheered.

"Good news everyone! We can see Greece from here!"

~Delilah~

When I got off the plane, in Athens, I was greeted by warm temperature and the exciting feeling that came with the thought "OMG, I'm in another country!"

Hugo still held my hand in his and he was dragging me through the airport. We had only the clothes on our back and a small backpack, so we didn't need to wait for suitcases. Strangely, he looked like he knew where to go, like if someone was waiting for us. He hailed a taxi and it took us to the centre of Athens. We wandered a little bit in the city before he did something very weird.

"Hi, guys how are you?" He asked a group of four teenagers and a dog.

At first they looked like they were about to ignore them and walk away, but the girl and the smallest boy's faces lit up. They looked like they knew Hugo and me, but weren't sure of who we were exactly. The strangest thing was that I, too, felt that way. I felt, I knew that I needed to follow them.

"So, how's life and everything?"

"I'm sorry," said the oldest boy. "Do we know each other?"

"Of course we do! Lewis Adams, right? Don't you remember your old friend Hugo?"

The Lewis guy looked shaken. He faked a smile and shook Hugo's hand.

"Oh, my gods I'm so happy to see you again!"

~Killian~

What was going on here?

I thought I had had my dose of weird. First, I met Adelaide. This girl was creeping me out. When I met her, I shook her hand, because it is polite and I am a polite guy. I felt around her a cold aura. When I touched her, I felt a strange fear in my guts. Disappointing, because I had a great first impression of her. She looked smart. And she was pretty.

Now, this Hugo came in our lives as if we had always known each other. I had the feeling that I knew him. However, it was like if I met again the quiet guy in French class. Yes, the class to which I went once then quit. Also, the guy spoke with a hint of a French accent.

That was definitely the quiet guy from French class. But he looked too old to have been in my class...

And that wasn't all! How come Hugo knew Lewis's last name? He never told me that. So I asked him.

"Is that your family name? Adams?"

"Yes..." He breathed, looking pale.

"And do you know him?"

He shook his head. No.

He too looked uneasy around Adelaide.

"What do you see when you look at her," Lewis asked me.

"I see a dark room and a shadow clawing at my neck. What about you?"

"I see James being attacked by a weird flying chicken lady in that church we were in before. And then you, playing with our minds."

~Adelaide~

Apparently, I was going to stick with these people for the rest of my trip. For which purpose, I didn't know. I saw that I was scaring the boys. They were looking at me as if I was a monster. Not that it was different from what I was used to. Just when I thought I had escaped my old life and left my troubles behind...

Enodia was the only one who didn't look confused by the situation. She jumped at Hugo's feet, barking joyfully. So we knew this guy... If I couldn't trust Enodia, I couldn't trust anyone. Hugo looked nice, but I had a weird feeling about him. I felt like he wasn't telling the whole truth. Maybe I was just naturally suspicious?

The new girl, Delilah, had a different aura. She looked confident, strong, courageous. She was a real-life Gryffindor. Somehow she looked like she knew who she was and why life was going that way. Also, she was pretty. Blonde, tall, the cliché popular high school girl, but nice and caring. Seeing the way Hugo was looking at her, I could guess that he liked her. Someone loved her.

I felt jealous. No... I had mixed feelings. Good and bad. I couldn't explain them to myself. I put my hands in my pockets and kicked some rocks. What was I going to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END OF PART ONE
> 
> Ok, we know, we know the story is kind of a mess right now hahaha. (What was going on in our heads in 2016?). Anyway, hang on it will get better ;)


	20. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GET READY FOR PART 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy beautiful people! We are almost to the point where we can start posting fresh 2020 chapters! Up until chapter 22, it’s Emma and Calliope from 2015-2016 talking to you. Anyway thanks for the Kudos! Resuming to write this fanfic allows us to forget the shit show going on around us these days… We hope that you and your families are well!
> 
> Also, big shout out to RaptorStrikeTR, who made us realize that we had posted the same chapter twice hahaha.

~Annabeth~

I was standing on the deck of the Penelope. We were approaching the coasts of Greece and I couldn't wait to arrive. My travel companions were lovely, but being stuck with the same people in a closed area for too long becomes dangerous. I was thinking about my kids. About how they would love to go on a cruise one day. We could rent a yacht, sail the Mediterranean.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost didn't hear Percy come behind me. He put his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me.

"Don't you think our children would love it here?"

"Of course."

We stayed like that, contemplating the calm sea before us. Then we decided that we should start packing.

Inside the ship, we could feel the excitement. Jason rushed past Percy and me. Since the battle, he looked in better shape. His skin no longer had a grayish tint, his eyes were shining again and he stood straighter. Guilt had been crushing him, but somehow he found a way to see past it.

"Hey, man," said Percy to Jason. "You look better."

"Yeah, I feel better, too. The routine was getting on my nerves. A little battle got me back in the game."

Percy and Jason exchanged a smile and a pat on the back and Jason entered the cabin he shared with Piper. She was already packing a bag. She tried to charmspeak Jason into finishing the work. He put his hands over his ears and sang loudly. Piper threw playfully a pillow at him and gave up her persuasion attempts.

In the next cabin, Frank and Hazel were packing together, in perfect harmony. Hazel was crossing out items off a list. She was a very organized person. No doubt she would bring the essentials and manage to make everything fit in a small backpack. Percy and I waved at them and made our way down the corridor.

Will was asleep on top of the covers of his bed. He was exhausted since the battle. He had to be a doctor for all of us. He even helped Leo the most to repair the ship after the Kraken attack. Nico was seated on the edge of the bed, two small bags at his feet. He and Will had finished packing and they were ready to go.

Leo's situation was very different. He was running around the room with Calypso, arguing whether or not he should bring his ultimate tool kit with him.

"It's too heavy to carry, Leo," said Calypso.

"But what if we come across a broken car! A broken clock! A broken mechanical and flying dragon! I will need this tool kit!"

Calypso rolled her eyes and put a shirt in her bag.

A few hours later, we finally arrived in Greece. We disembarked in Lesbos, one of Greece's islands. We took a ferry to arrive in Athens.

I was hit by a wave of nostalgia and battle memories. Last time we had to save the world, we were in Athens.

"Watch out, Percy," said Leo, a smile at the corner of his lips. "It's not the time to get a nosebleed."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Percy laughed, sarcastic.

"Alright people," I put in. "We have children to find, let's get going! Let's split up and report here in an hour."

~Delilah~

The dog –I had forgotten its name, along with the name of everyone with me– started jumping everywhere.

"Enodia, what now?" asked the girl. "Don't... Oh my god she's running away. Guys come on we have to follow her!"

We all started running. I hate running. We were advancing towards the port. Enodia, the dog, now I knew her name, stopped at the feet of a tall, young man, with dark hair and green eyes.

Oh my god. He was hella hot...

Stop it Delilah, said my inner self, cute like that, he probably has a girlfriend. A wife. Children? He's, like, twice your age.

"Gods, you're exactly like Rachel's paintings," the man exclaimed.

Rachel? His girlfriend, without a doubt.

"You have to follow me. Sorry, that sounded creepy. Hum... We can help you, you look lost. I promise you can trust us, my friends and I."

"I know," said the girl with the dog. "I lived weird things. I met a girl in prison. Red hair. She told me I had to find Annabeth... Chase? I'm ready to bet that she was talking about you," she said, pointing to the girl beside the man. She had placed a hand on his shoulder as if to ask him to let her speak before he stumbled on his own words.

The man let out a breath.

"You dreamed of Rachel. That means she's alive. Thank the gods."

So the man's girlfriend had been lost somewhere. Tragic.

"I'm Percy, by the way," the man said. "It's Jackson, though."

Whatever, I thought.

He put out his hand and we all shook it. When came my turn, I'm pretty sure that my heart stopped. Then we followed him to the port. A group of people was waiting there. There was a blond woman, looking super smart. A man fiddling with a tool belt around his waist. A beautiful lady wearing only a white T-shirt and jeans, her hair put up very complex-looking braids. A woman with feathers in her hair, holding hands with a tall blond man with a scar on his upper lip. The tallest man I've ever seen, with his hands on the shoulders of a girl looking minuscule in his arms. And a weird emo guy (without guyliner though), in great conversation with a blond guy.

The emo turned around when he saw our group. He stared at the girl and the dog. Something was off.

Percy started to introduce us to the people. I couldn't concentrate very much, because I was distracted by Percy. No, sorry, hum... Okay, yes, Percy. At least I could remember names. Leo and Calypso. Piper and Jason. Frank and Hazel. Nico and Will.

"... And finally, my wife, Annabeth."

Wife? I might have misheard.

Then, we presented ourselves. Here I paid attention. Adelaide, Killian, James, Lewis, obnoxious Hugo. And Enodia, the dog.

What a team, ladies and gentlemen. What a team.


	21. A New Hope

~Rachel~

Life in a cell was not something I would recommend. It was uncomfortable, dark, and really tough on the nerves. Every day and night, I could hear weird noises coming from the other cells. I didn't know with what creatures I was locked up, but some made noises I had still never heard. Maybe they were making experiments, like in a movie?

I needed to stop. This was a great way to start freaking out, thinking about terrible stuff that might happen to me.

"Got your meal."

A voice took me out of my reverie. It was the same guy that I saw every day, twice. He brought me food and water. He wasn't particularly friendly, but something in his face told me that he didn't want to be here, even if he tried to hide it the best he could.

This boy really intrigued me because he had electric blue hair. He had to dye it, for sure. He had ocean green eyes. They kind of reminded me of Percy's eyes, so every time I saw them I was violently reminded of how much I missed my friends. I really hoped they were safe and that they had found the three children. I had no visions and no dreams, so that helped very much. That was obviously a sarcastic statement.

I got up to go take the meal that was waiting for me. A weird stew and a piece of bread. Typical. I had to pinch my nose to down the food. I took a deep breath to gather courage and started eating. I looked up and saw that the blue-haired boy was still standing there.

I was always asking myself questions when I saw him pass. I knew I wasn't the last cell in the corridor, but I was always the last prisoner he gave his meal to. I didn't know if he was afraid of what was in the cells farther, or if this portion of the prison was just off-limits for him.

A plan started to grow in my head.

"Can I help you?" I asked the boy.

"No. Of course not."

It was the first time I heard him say other words than 'Got your meal.' His voice was soft, not particularly high or low. His voice cracked as if he wasn't used to talking a lot.

He coughed and started to leave. I ran to the bars.

"Wait! Can I ask you a question?"

The boy froze. I saw his shoulders tense. He didn't turn around to face me.

"I am not supposed to talk to you," he answered. "I have orders."

"Then send me someone who can talk to me. I demand answers."

He turned around and walked to my cell. The bars were the only thing between us. I was glad. Maybe he was dangerous.

"Where am I?" I whispered. Somewhere inside me I didn't want him to get caught.

"You are in an underground prison. It is not at a specific place on Earth. There are many entrances that lead to many different places on the planet."

"Like the Labyrinth?"

"Exactly."

I took a deep breath. It will be difficult for my friends to come to rescue me. I would have to escape myself and figure out a way home.

"Why are you keeping me here?"

"The boss wants it. As an Oracle, you are a threat. Same thing for the demigods. My boss wants to tear down Olympus and rule. Decide who rules besides my boss."

"Who is your boss?"

The boys vigorously shook his head. He didn't want to say.

"Is your boss a he or a she."

"I work for a complex hierarchy. You'd have to be more specific as to which boss you're referring too. Either way, my answer wouldn't help you."

Again, he was silent for a moment.

"How is that supposed to help you?" This was very not helpful.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I think that my boss is wrong. I want to escape. I was wishing you would come with me."

I was taken aback. Never I thought I would hear this. This boy was offering me to escape. With him.

"How can I trust you?" I asked. "I don't even know your name. What if this is a trap?"

He smiled. His green eyes twinkled, like the sea shimmering with sunlight.

"This is not a trap. I know this is a lot for you to take in. But I promise you, I'm telling you the truth. I'm Julian."

I shook Julian's hand through the bars of my cell.

"All right... What do we do now?"

At this moment, we heard steps coming from the corridor. Julian froze and let go of my hand.

"I... I have to go. This has to be the boss. The boss might be wondering what's taking me so long. All right... Wait for me, I'm coming back."

Julian took off. He ran back to the door that I couldn't see, but that surely lead to somewhere else than the prison.

"It's not like I could go anywhere," I muttered.

Finally, a bit of hope.


	22. Team Hell

~Adelaide~

"So... You are a daughter of Hecate."

While walking towards God knows where one of the younger men approached me. I was decent at remembering names, so I remembered that he was Nico.

I felt weirded out near him, but I felt a weird attraction, too. Life if we were meant to be friends, or at least we were meant to get along. Enodia was very good at feeling bad people and wouldn't leave me near them. She was walking by my side, very calm, so I knew I could trust the man.

However...

"I never told you I was a daughter of Hecate. How did you know?"

He smiled. It looked like it was something he wasn't used to doing. He must reserve his smiles for very important people. I felt special.

"I'm a son of Hades. Hazel over there is a child of Pluto, who is the Roman equivalent of Hades. So she's my sister. She has a special aura. I can feel our similar parentage."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I let him continue.

"I don't feel that in you, but I can feel... Um... The darkness in you."

I choked. It was the first time someone was so straightforward with me. I knew that people found me weird and felt uneasy around me.

"Oh my god," I whispered.

"Nico," warned the blond guy Will, obviously Nico's boyfriend. "We talked about your people skills. You can't say that."

"No, that's fine," I put in. "Actually, I don't like people who beat around the bush. It's fine."

Nico looked at me. He smiled again.

"I like this girl," he said to Will. "I think I made a friend." He turned back to me. "Are we friends?"

"Absolutely!"

We shook hands. Nico winked at Will, clearly meaning 'my people skills are top-notch okay shut up.'

"By the way," added Will, at my intention. "Here, we prefer to say oh my gods, plural. Some gods are very susceptible. Like my dad, Apollo. He hates being ignored."

I made a nervous laugh. I was ready to get blasted by a death ray or something. But nothing came, thank the GODS, plural.

Then came the dreaded awkward silence. I at least had found a friend among the group of adults. The other kids looked disoriented, except Hugo, who looked like he was in deep conversation with Leo and Calypso. Leo was demonstrating how awesome his tool belt was.

The three other boys and the girl seemed absorbed by their shoes or different trees. Fantastic.

I tried to guess where we were heading. We were in a port, so obviously we were about to take a boat of some kind. I was very disappointed when I saw the boat we were about to embark on. It was a small, normal-looking fishing boat. No way we would all fit in that. But then, I was remembered that magic existed. We went down the small steps located at the back of the ship and we arrived in a wonderful, modern and cozy cabin. It looked more like a luxury apartment.

"All right! Welcome aboard the Penelope! Now we need to decide where everyone is going to sleep."

Leo had just spoken. He was clearly the captain of the ship. We instinctively made a circle around him in the meeting room we were in.

"I saw there is a last spare room. Adelaide and her dog can take that room. I saw that some rooms had two beds, so please, my friends, we are no longer single, sleeping in the same bed won't kill you. I will take one of the beds and put it in Adelaide's room. The girls will sleep in the spare room."

I looked at Delilah. She looked nice. I didn't think there would be any dorm drama.

"For the boys, I will take the extra bed in this room. I can hang up hammocks, also. I will set up something with blankets, for intimacy, ya know. Get used to it. You'll notice that we are all very close and intimacy is a bit tricky, but hey, I how you guys will feel comfortable around us scary adults soon enough!"

Leo clapped twice and sent us all to work. Soon we were all lying on our designated bed. The day had been exhausting, but I couldn't sleep. I was really scared I would get a nightmare. I know, it was a childish fear. But understand me. When you are the daughter of the goddess of nightmares, you feel like your mom is trolling you big time when you dream about something else than unicorns and flowers and rainbows.

So I went on the deck. We didn't leave the port. Night had fallen and I could see the stars of the Greek sky. I didn't hear the woman sneak up behind me, so I jumped back when I felt her leaning on the railing beside me.

She was beautiful, her dark skin gleaming under the moon. Her eyes shone like gems. Her hair had golden shadows in them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized. "I'm Hazel. Nico's sister. "He told me about you. I just wanted you to know that if you need help with anything, I'll always be here. Nico would love to teach you how to use your powers, but he still has to work on his people skills."

"What's the deal with him, though?" I asked. I regretted my words as soon as I spoke them. It sounded rude. However, Hazel didn't look hurt.

"Children of Hades or Pluto have... Difficult lives. We all have our backstories. I used to be dead, but Nico thought I still had a chance, so he brought me back. Nico was trapped in a place that saved him from time and he lost his sister. We are both actually much older than we look."

"Will I have a difficult life, too? Will I be depressed all the time?"

"I don't know. I hope not! I never met a child of Hecate before, I don't know how they typically turn out. But see, Nico and I are both very happy right now. We both have a loving boyfriend and we do what we love the most in life. There is always a way to live the way you want."

"This is a lot to take in," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"It is. I am sorry to throw this at you like that. But don't hesitate to talk to any of us, if you need to."

I met Hazel's gaze.

"Thank you very much. It means a lot to me."


	23. To The Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This is the first chapter of the new, fresh, and improved 2020 content! Yay!! Killian's POV was written in 2016, but the rest is brand new. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to tell us what you think in the comment, we hope that you have as much fun reading as we have fun writing! 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> \- E&C

~Killian~

I have to say that a hammock was a really comfortable thing to sleep in. I had never slept in one before, but I really enjoyed it. Lewis took the bed because he was "so old and needed good back support while he slept." I think that he is actually terrified of the idea of hanging a few feet in the air. He's afraid he might fall.

The common room was a nice place to sleep in. It was spacious and let in a good amount of sunlight during the day. I hoped the girls were getting along in their room. Us boys, we slept most of the night, so we couldn't get mad at each other.

The only unpleasant person was Hugo. I think I was the only one having doubts about him. Lewis and James got along just fine with him. They told jokes, laughed and played together. I was mostly on my own, reading books that Annabeth would kindly lend me. I had absolutely no reason to hate Hugo. Maybe his face seemed unfriendly to me. Sometimes you meet people who don't go fine with you.

It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. I hated to admit it, but I was seasick. Even if the boat was at a dock, it still moved and it didn't go well with my stomach. I tried to turn around to find a more comfortable position. I could go to Will's room and ask for something to make me feel better, but I had pride. I had to suck it up and endure. I know, it is a stupid way to think.

As I was finally closing my eyes, I felt movement near me. It was Hugo, climbing down his hammock. He walked towards the washrooms, but then changed his course at the last moment to take the stairs leading to the deck. After a few seconds of the argument with myself, I decided to follow him. I hid in the stairwell. I could see him and hear him almost perfectly. He was talking to someone on his cellphone. However, the adults had warned us of the danger of cellphones. When demigods used one, or any other piece of technology, it would attract monsters.

"Je vous jure," said Hugo. "Ils sont tous ici, sur le bateau. Ils dorment à poings fermés. C'est l'heure d'attaquer. Ce sera facile. J'attends d'être payé! J'ai fait tout ce qui avait été demandé."

My French was pretty rusty, but I understood a few words that alarmed me. Bateau, attaquer, facile, payé, demandé. Boat, attack, easy, paid, asked. Hugo was a traitor. He had been promised payment if he brought us all together. But why? Who was his employer? My heart was beating fast. I had to alert someone. I ran upstairs to find Will and Nico who were on watch.

~Nico~

I was on the deck, on watch duty, with Will. The night was quiet and still, the stars shining brightly above our heads. We decided to moor the boat a little bit outside the port of Lesbos as not to get to much attention on us. The Penelope didn't have any visible magical aspects, thanks to the Mist, but anyone would grow suspicious if they saw more than half a dozen people coming out of a small yacht.

Unlike the see that night, I was agitated. Will noticed and came closer to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I didn't shake him off.

"There is something on your mind," said Will. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

In an ideal world, Will would not have noticed that something was bothering me and my troubles would have vanished on their own. However, perfection is not of this world (and not even of the gods' world), and so I had to face my problems and work them out. It made it even harder since Will was the source of my restlessness.

"Will," I said, choking on the name. I took a deep breath and I blurted out. "There's something that's been bothering me since the beginning of all this and really I would appreciate it if you could stop, but really stop, to treat me like a kid. I know, we've been through a lot, especially me, but it's over now. I'm okay. And now I feel useless because I can't use my powers and I feel like I could help if I could go to the shadow world to find some answers."

Will stared at me in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something but I didn't leave him the chance.

"I feel like I'm being treated like a child. This is not okay. I am an adult and I can make my own decisions. I'm glad that you care about me, that you are worried about my well-being. But we are demigods. We live dangerous lives. I can't take it anymore I can't be nurtured and looked at with pity. Please I have to do something about it. We had many conversations about this for the past 12 years."

Will was definitely quiet now. My heart started to pound. What if I had said something wrong? What if he was mad and I ruined our relationship forever? Gods, why was I so bad with that kind of stuff?

"I'm sorry, " I whispered.

"Don't."

Will pulled me into a hug. At first I stiffened, still stressed about my sudden confession, but I let go and relaxed. For some strange reason, I thought Will would get mad, even if this would have been so out of character for him.

"I'm so sorry I made you feel that way," said Will. "There is no excuse. I'm nervous, as everyone here, and I guess I've been overprotective because I am so scared to lose you. I promise I will stop to be like that. Please, don't hesitate to tell me if I start being all doctor-knows-best on you okay?"

I smiled against Will's shoulder as I watched a Coast Guard's boat passing by in the distance.

"Thank y--"

"Guys?"

Will and I let go of each other with a start. Before us was standing Killian, his eyebrows knit, his hands restless at his sides.

"Guys, I have concerns about Hugo... Something is off I think..."

Then I understood that something was indeed off. The Coast Guard boat wasn't just passing by. It was coming towards us. Either the ship was in peril and coming blindly to crash with the Penelope, either the Coast Guard could see us and was coming for us. Somehow, I felt that the latter was the case.

"Will, Killian," I said, suddenly alarmed. "Go wake the others. Quick! But let James, Lewis and Hugo sleep."

~Jason~

We were all on deck, alert, ready for the oncoming attack. Instinctively, all the eyes turned to Annabeth, awaiting a defence plan. Right away, the knit her eyebrows and started assigning tasks.

"Kids, you stay on the ship with Hazel and Leo. Hazel, try to protect the Penelope with Mist. Leo, I'm sure you have some surprises that could be useful.

Leo smirked. "They won't even know what hit them."

"Hey wait, that's not fair! We can help too!" Delilah objected. Percy turned to face her.

"There's no way you get in any sort of danger. You're almost my son's age, you are too young."

Delilah blushed and didn't say anything else. Nobody mentioned that Delilah had to be twice Luke's age and that Percy and I were preparing to fight the king of the Titans and his army precisely at Delilah's age.

"We have to protect the ship on all sides since we don't know where the attack will be coming from," Annabeth continued. "So on the water: Percy and I."

"I want to come too," added Calypso. "I was a water divinity before giving up immortality to follow flaming boy here."

"That's me," Leo whispered in my ear, a hint of pride on his face.

Annabeth accepted Calypso's proposition and continued.

"Piper and Jason, take care of the air. Nico and Frank, you take the docks. Will, you can stay on deck to take care of the wounded. Let's hope we won't need your doctor's skills though, no offence."

"None taken. But I can fight, Annabeth! I want to fight, I trained. I can go with Nico on the docks."

Annabeth didn't look so enthused by the idea.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," promised Frank, and Annabeth seemed to relax a bit.

"Fine, keep your positions and be ready to destroy the most monsters possible."

All nodded, ready to fight.

"Bring it on!" Percy exclaimed.


	24. Back to War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to you! We hope you are doing well!   
> We are now at the point where we publish new chapters, written in the last weeks. Therefore we will only post a chapter a day. We have written ahead, but it is possible that we might have to skip a day, maybe... We don't know, let's see what life has in store for us (but let's hope it's good stuff, right?)
> 
> Anyway, here's some reading for you. Enjoy!
> 
> \- E&C

~Hazel~

We were actually going to do it. After so many years, we were back fighting monsters. Even if I hadn't been in an actual battle since the end of the war against Gaia, I still trained every week. It was normal for a demigod: you never knew when you would be needed with a weapon.

After Annabeth's briefing, everyone ran to their appointed post. I took the kids with me, not without difficulty, and I lead them below deck. We met with James and Lewis who were stumbling out of their room, still shaking off sleep. They must have heard the commotion upstairs.

"Alright guys," I said, trying to sound the more convincing I could. "I really need you to stay hidden and to do exactly as I say. There are monsters out there, and you are not trained to fight them... And you also might not be able to even see them."

Lewis and James, to whom my last sentence was addressed, were looking around, confused.

"Hang on," said Lewis. "Can someone explain to me what's going on? What do you mean monsters? What do you mean when you say we can't see them?" He turned aggressively towards Killian. "When you said we were going on an adventure, I thought we would run away from the orphanage, that's it. Not that we were going to join a crew of weird people we don't even know who fight non-existent monsters!"

"Okay kid," I intervened. "I know this might sound confusing. I promise to give you answers later--"

"Shut up!" Lewis erupted. "Don't call me kid ever again! You're just like all the other adults. You think that people younger than you cannot understand. You are just trying to shield everyone. How's that worked out for you?"

I was taken aback. Was I really becoming the frustrating adult, always keeping information from children? Was I patronizing them by not letting them take part in this fight? I shook these thoughts from my head and tried to compose myself once again. Now, what not the time for self-doubt. I was only executing Annabeth's orders. Also, I shared her opinion that it was safer for the kids to stay hidden. They would hurt themselves because they were not trained in battle.

"You stay here and it is final," I said, implacable. "You could really die out there, I hope that's enough of an incitative for you to stay put. Wait... where is Hugo?"

The teenager was nowhere to be seen. He was so quiet on the ship, he easily went unnoticed.

"I don't know," Killian said, visibly worried. "That's why I was on the deck--"

"Hazel? Where are you?"

It was Leo. He was calling me from the deck. There was stress in his voice that twisted my gut. I started to run.

"Stay here!" I repeated one last time to the kids.

In a few seconds, I was near Leo. We were not under immediate danger, but I could see Percy, Annabeth and Calypso fighting on the water. They seemed to be trying to slow down the Coast Guard ship.

"What's wrong?" I asked Leo.

"Percy swam back to give me a message," answered Leo gravely. "Looks like we are not fighting monsters..."

"What do you mean?"

"They are all mortals on the ship. Not a single drop of godly blood. We are up against humans."

~Hugo~

I was hidden in one of the rooms, waiting for Hazel to leave the younger members of the crew alone in the kitchen. If everything went according to plan, I would be gone from this ship by sun up.

I heard Leo call on Hazel, her footsteps approaching then leaving. That's how I knew the way was cleared. Apparently I interrupted a fight when I entered the kitchen.

"What does she mean when she says that we can't see monsters?" Lewis shouted. "That's bold to assume that monsters exist in the first place."

"They do exist, Lewis, I've seen them. And you didn't." Killian said softly.

"Are you saying that I'm blind? Or stupid? Or both?"

"Remember when we spent a night in a church?" Killian said, raising his voice. "James was attacked. You both saw an eagle. I saw a winged chicken lady. You don't remember it because I hypnotized you to forget."

"Oh, and you want me to believe that you are a sane person after telling me this?" Lewis exclaimed. This was my time to make an entrance.

"Killian is not crazy. Winged chicken ladies do exist. They are called harpies, and they are particularly vicious. James is lucky to have made it alive, and with both eyes intact."

The whole group was looking at me in disbelief.

Delilah was the first one to speak: "What are you doing here, and what are you talking about? Where were you?"

"That's not important. I want you to come with me. We can leave tonight. Out there, it's not an attack. It's a rescue party. A rescue party for us. I called some friends and they are on their way to get us."

"No, wait," James sighed. "We just came in here, with nice people whom we barely know, and you tell us they are bad people? I mean yes, one of them is pretty creepy and gloomy, but they fed us and welcomed us."

"I agree with the guy," Adelaide chimed in. "They made us feel safe and they answered to some questions I never had the answers to. That's better than any of my foster families ever did."

"Talk about answers..." Lewis mumbled.

"Listen, I don't have time to explain, we have to leave now."

"No," said Killian, making a step forward. "We don't know you, you are weird, and I heard you making weird calls tonight. You know the names of my friends after meeting them for the first time. We never even spoke and you come here trying to save us from something. From what?"

"Well, time's up," I sighed, disappointed. "You are making a big mistake. If you stay here, you'll never get the answers you want and deserve."

I turned around, trying to make a dramatic exit that would convince the others to follow me. But I heard no footsteps following me. At the top of the stairs leading to the deck, I scanned quickly my surroundings, locating a Coast Guard boat speeding towards me. Leo and Hazel were trying to fight it off. Leo was throwing Greek fire at the ship, and the Coast Guards were firing real cannons at them.

I broke into a full-on sprint. The boat was close enough now for me to reach it if I jumped far enough. I climbed on the railing of the Penelope and jumped as the Coast Guard boat was the closest. My feet hit hard the deck of the other ship. I rolled a few times to a stop. I was so concentrated that I stopped hearing what was going on around me.

If I was able to, I would have heard Hazel and Leo screaming at me to stop.

If I was able to, I would have heard Lewis calling me, telling me to stop because he was coming with me.

If I was able to, I would have heard Delilah, Adelaide, Killian and James calling for Lewis to stop and come back.

If I was able to, I would have heard the explosion. I would have heard Lewis stop and stumble. I would have heard James cry out Lewis's name.

I just saw Lewis falling from the railing onto the deck, and a pool of blood forming quickly around him.


	25. An Unexpected Enemy

~Annabeth~

Percy, Calypso and I jumped in the water when everyone else ran to their position. I had to pray the gods, once again shining by their absence in our battle so that our friends could make it out alive.

Percy used his powers on the water to create a bubble that surrounded us fully and propelled us towards the Coast Guard ship speeding towards the Penelope. Normally, I liked the softness of the bubbles and the feeling of safety and proximity with Percy that they gave me. But at this precise moment, I could feel stress gnawing at my guts. I observed Percy knitting his eyebrows while concentrating. He was breathing in the power of the ocean and I could almost smell the saltiness of the water. With this perfume, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about all the times Percy and I fell asleep one against the other, trying to protect ourselves mutually from our childhoods' dangers.

The cool air of the night pulled me out of my thoughts when we were projected from our protective bubble, miraculously landing on the deck, our clothes dry. Clearly, we weren't expected. The Coast Guards took a while to notice our presence. However, we couldn't take advantage of the surprise we had caused because we were surprised ourselves. We only saw mortals turned against us. Where were all the monsters we had grown used to fight? Those we could make disappear in a spark of golden dust? Those we had studied all these years at Camp Half-Blood?

Calypso was the first one to come back to reality when the first guard threw himself on us. She brandished rapidly her knife and countered the first attack. The mortals all seemed to be armed with swords and knives like the one we were accustomed to using since our pre-teens. This way, we were assured that we were facing mortals who knew their mythology.

After the first attack, I brandished my Drakon Bone Sword and charged the attackers. Percy was still in a state of shock.

"Annabeth, we can't injure them, we have to find another solution," he cried over the noise of my sword hitting the guard's weapon facing me.

"Now's not the time to have remorse, Seaweed Brain, we are in danger, do something!" I implored Percy.

He came back to his senses. I saw him rising his arm and at the same time, two enormous waves crashed on the deck, taking with them a dozen guards towards the ship's hold. The waves didn't touch Calypso nor me. At that moment, I saw three other boats getting dangerously close to us. Percy seemed to see them too.

"I'm coming back. Both of you can know a few guards out. The others have to know that we can't just make the boats explode." He jumped overboard and disappeared between the waves.

A violent jerk made me fall on my knees. I understood that Percy had changed the tide's direction, slowing down the boat in the process. This would buy us a little bit of time. I got back up at the same time as our enemies, who were wet from the last wave. Calypso and I backed up until we had our back to the water, making it impossible for us to be attacked from behind. We were in defence mode, trying to dodge our enemies' blades the best we could.

My brain was functioning at top speed. I put a knee to the ground and the guard who lunged for me was thrown overboard by the force of the blow to the waist I gave him with my shoulder. Even then, we were overpowered. We could not fight them all off.

"Calypso, we had to find the engines room!"

I turned around and saw her kicking the man in front of her in a way to make him fall face-first on the ground. She jumped over him and raced for the stair leading to the hold of the ship. She dodged a new guard trying to block her way. I hit the red-haired young man in front of me with the hilt of my sword and I rushed in the same direction as my friend.

The ship did not transport so many guards, fifteen at most. We already had thrown overboard four of them and three others were lying knocked out on the deck. Going down the stairs, I saw two guards still out of order since the wave hit them. A third one was helping a fourth one who had dislocated his shoulder in his fall. He was crying from the pain and was almost loud enough to drown the noise of the waves crashing on the hull, trying to keep the boat from moving forward.

Only four guards were left to stop us. We reached the engines room. The machines were roaring and overheating, as the ship was trying to move forward despite the current. Two guards noticed our presence and rushed towards us. Calypso rolled and passed between the first guard's legs, then got up to face the second one. She got up gracefully and hit him on the nose with her elbow, and he fell to the ground, both hands clutching his face. Before the other could realize what was happening, I caught his arm and pulled it as to do an arm key. He was at my mercy.

The last two guards stumbled into the room

"Stop this, right now," I heard myself saying, almost calmly. "If you take one step forward I break his arm." The two men stopped running.

"Now, tell us how to hijack the boat so it can't move anymore."

They had no other choice but to obey. They explained tho Calypso which cables she had to cut and which button to press. She got the job done quickly. She had many years of travel with Leo under her belt that sharpened her dexterity. I was amazed by her calm and I was surprised to see that her hair was still in place. It was not my case.

After a few minutes, the machines stopped to roar. We headed outside, reuniting with the cool breeze, the stars, and Percy who had come back. I was still holding the guard and as soon as we were close to the edge of the boat, I pushed him forward, taking Percy and Calypso with me towards the waves.

Percy made us emerge a bit farther.

"They all know, back on the ship. I managed to hold two other boats, but the last one got away. I hope Leo and Hazel can take care of that one."

At some distance, I could see two small storms holding back two ships. Percy's powers never ceased to impress me.

"One down, two more to go!" I exclaimed.

~Piper~

The moment we saw Percy, Annabeth and Calypso disappear underwater, Jason made us take off towards the sky. The stars were shining above our heads and we could hear the last drunks coming out of the bars laughing, far away. I started fantasizing about that life. The one where we didn't have to fear for our safety and the one of people we cared about. As Jason was carrying us higher and higher, I thought of my father. He was living the end of his career without knowing that I was risking my life at any given moment. Could we imagine, a few days back, as Frank and Hazel were sharing their vows, that we would yet again be in danger today, thousands of kilometres away from home?

The piercing cold of the cloud we were going through brought me back to reality. Far away, we could see four Coast Guard boats heading towards the Penelope. One of them seemed immobile, floating on the spot. I recognized Percy's work.

"Jason, let's land on another ship."

Right away, I felt that we were changing direction. We flew lower and lower until my feet touched the deck of the ship.

We had not made any noise, therefore no one seemed to notice our presence. I heard Jason unsheathing his sword in the darkness. We followed the wall to find the main cabin. A window was open and I crouched to listen to what was going on inside.

"It should be easy, they are all asleep. Yes, the informer assured it."

The voice, sounding feminine, was addressing another one, lower, that seemed to be coming from way farther. I could not hear very well the second voice.

"Yes, I know, we need the adults alive. Could you tell me again why the kids need to be killed on sight? I'm a bit uncomfortable to--"

The lower voice interrupted the speaker. I missed having Tyson with us since he could have heard better than me what was said by the farthest voice.

"Yes, yes, that's good, I understand. The adults can be reasoned with, but the kids could make all our efforts fail. If you could tell me the prophecy the girl revealed to you, I could maybe help you better?"

The second voice sounded to be losing patience with the first voice and I could hear no more.

"Piper, I think that we found it." Jason placed himself in front of me to protect me with his body. I gestured him that it was not necessary.

"Good evening," I said, using all the power of my Charmspeaking abilities. "It will not be necessary to attack us."

The guards hesitated, then, confused, stopped immediately.

"Anyway, you have to keep us alive, so why not leave us alone? You must have kids, parents, girlfriends and boyfriends waiting for you at home, right? Why don't you take the lifeboat and go join them right now?"

I knew that my charmspeak was stronger when I said what people wanted to hear. After a few seconds of uneasiness, the guards headed for a small motorboat and left in the night.

"Good job Pipes, your charmspeak is always as impressing."

I shivered. I pushed out of my mind the memory of our departure. The time I tried to hold Jason back with my powers, without success.

"Let's get going," I answered, trying to look confident.

We had to find a way to stop the ship. Suddenly, I felt the wind rising around us. Whirlpools mixed with a storm were brewing around us. I looked at Jason in disbelief.

"What are you doing? You're blowing our cover!"

"I had no other choice, I felt the storm coming. I think Percy's trying to help us.

I looked in the distance and I could see another boat struggling against the same violence of the sea.

"If we work together, you know what me and my bro can accomplish. I'm going to catch up with him, take care of this boat. I'm coming back to get you in 20 minutes, good luck."

Jason kissed me and flew away in the storm that was getting stronger by the minute.

The boat was pitching even more now and the guards that I couldn't send away were starting to mass on the deck to see what was going on. After a few seconds, they understood who I was and rushed to catch me. (Note to self: feathers in my hair are cool, but not very subtle.) With my knife, I managed to keep the guards at a distance. I rolled, cut and hit, trying to free myself. As usual, I was shouting some commands like "Run! Flee! Stop!" at random, which was making a few of the guards hesitate long enough for me to be able to dodge attacks. I vaguely saw two guards throwing themselves into the ocean. If I had the chance to get to the captain, I could stop the boat.

At least, with the storm, the ship was no longer heading at top speed towards the Penelope. Suddenly, the captain got out of her cabin.

"Good evening, Piper Mclean. I have an offer. "


	26. The Unexpected

~Delilah~

Hugo's dramatic departure had frozen me on the spot. I could not move, my arms and legs were feeling heavy. My ears were still ringing from the explosion, everything seemed to be working in slow motion. I could see Killian, James and Hazel, huddled over Lewis. The boy was lying on the ground, sprawled as would be a puppet without strings. I could see James shouting and crying, tears rushing down his face, but I could not hear him. In the darkness, Lewis' blood had the colour of tar. My senses were overwhelmed to a point where I couldn't feel anything anymore. All I felt was a great void inside me.

Hugo had betrayed me. He had abandoned the ship, leaving behind him Lewis' broken body. Trusting him had been completely stupid. I should have trusted my instincts.

I saw Leo rushing towards the ship in a whirlwind of flames and rage. Then, Hazel shook me with force.

"Delilah, wake up! You have to go get Will, quickly!" Her voice was panicked.

It's at this moment that the cold air of the night found its way into my lugs. I was once again master of my senses. I could see Leo at a distance - he was terrifying. We could not distinguish his body from the flames anymore. I felt the breeze on my face and I smelled blood. My brain processed at last what Hazel had told me. I had to find Will. Now. I rushed to the docks.

My legs, so numb a few seconds before, seemed now ready to bring me to the other side of the world. It had to be the adrenaline. In an instant, I found Nico, Will, and Frank, who were already fighting off guards outnumbering them. I didn't try to understand why they were attacking us.

"Will!" I shouted. "We need you on the boat! It's Lewis, there was an explosion... Quick!"

My words weren't making any sense for someone who had no idea of what had just happened on the Penelope. I didn't understand what was going on, nor what I was feeling. However, Will seemed to have understood what I was trying to tell him. He ran towards the ship, a panicked expression on his face.

Soon enough, the blond hair of the son of Apollo disappeared in the smoke rising from our embarkation. I realized at that moment that I was standing in the middle of a battlefield. I was not armed. Frank and Nico seemed to be on top of the situation. Hordes of skeletons were marching towards the soldiers. Frank was notching arrow after arrow. Now a bear, then a man, he outpowered every soldier on his path. The spectres invoked by Nico kept the soldiers from moving forward and Frank's arrows only left superficial injuries. If nothing changed, we would soon be overwhelmed.

"Delilah, get out of the way, you could get hurt! Go back to the ship!" Frank begged. But I didn't listen to him.

Anger started to boil in me. I was feeling helpless and I had no idea as to how to help Lewis. I had to know that Hugo was going to betray us. I took a deep breath. This situation was insanely unfair. Why did Lewis, a mortal who couldn't see through the Mist, had to suffer the gods' negligence?

Suddenly, the ground shook. Frank lost his balance and almost fell over.

"Nico, be careful!"

Nico turned around in disbelief.

"It's not me, this time."

The ground vas breaking apart in several places and huge roots shot to the sky. Slowly, they headed towards the soldiers, who had all stopped trying to break through Nico's defence. The roots caught around the soldiers' feet, ankles, clothes, all that they could hang on to. In a second, all the soldiers were floating several meters above the ground.

Nico and Frank were looking at me in disbelief. The roots continued to wrap themselves around the soldiers, squeezing stronger and stronger, closing themselves on their victims. The soldiers were starting to suffocate, some cried out in pain and in horror. Nico understood quickly that I was not planning on stopping now. He could probably see the anger in my eyes. At this moment, in my head, there was not a lot making sense. I could only see Lewis's body falling over and over again. Like a horror movie stuck on repeat, I could not stop seeing the same scene in my mind and I squeezed. Harder and harder. Frank and Nico shouted to stop, starting to get as horrified as the soldiers. I could not hear anything anymore. Then, Nico disappeared in the shadows and my head exploded with pain as I fell to the ground.

~Leo~

I had to buy them time. The fire was raging around me. Thank the gods for fireproof clothes that Calypso had made for me. All my concentration was in the fire around me, I had to control myself at all costs. Burn wood and metal, but not hurt humans who were trying to stop me. I could not allow myself to lose control. The fire was burning strong on the boat and was forcing all the Coast Guards to rush towards me, in an attempt to take over me. They were throwing fire and spraying me with fire extinguishers. This way, they could not get to my friends. I must stay in the centre of the attention. Not that I didn't like it.

The flames were spiralling around me and I could hear the fire consuming the hull. No one could attack me. Soon enough, the ship started to pitch dangerously. I realized that if the flames could not be controlled, the ship would probably sink. Oops. I had not thought the plan throughout, just the phase there I kept the not so nice bad guys at a safe distance from my friends. Maybe it was time to turn off and find a more practical solution to our problem.

Before the blaze started to get really out of control, I came back to being just Leo. The one who knew how to manage every situation with his magic toolbelt and his wit. The flames started to die one after the other with the help of the fire extinguishers. The boat was in bad shape. A gaping, charred hole allowed me to see all the way to the hold. The metal at the bottom was now red and malleable, which allowed the water to get in. This explained the pitching. As soon as the guards finally took over the flames, they rushed to tend to the hole. I took advantage of the situation to take out a few tools from my belt. I started to have an idea about how to get the ship to leave us alone.

As I started to build the wanted device with various bits and pieces, I rushed to the back of the ship (it's called the stern, but there's no way you know that kind of stuff.) I started wondering where was Hugo. He had to be with what's was left of the ship. However, he seemed to have disappeared. Maybe a cabin was hiding a teleportation machine. Note to self: install a teleportation machine in the Penelope. As my hands were building the device, I started to think about Lewis, who was now lying in I didn't know what state. Also, note to self: stop making jokes when the situation is too stressful. Maybe it's the only way for you to cope, but it makes the other uncomfortable.

I finally arrived at the stern, boosted myself forward and jumped into the icy water. My little device was ready. I only had to find a way to secure it to the ship's propeller. The cold blocked my breathing. I could see nothing. What were you thinking? You're not Percy, you can't do shit underwater. I could not use the help of flames to see better. I had the idea to try to find a flashlight in the pocket in my belt, which turned out to be a good idea. With the light, I could easily find the propeller and managed to connect my little device. As soon as it was activated, the propeller started to turn faster and faster, bringing the ship and its crew to the high sea. My work was done and the only thing I had left to do was to get back to my friends, dreading the horrible news waiting for me.

~Will~

Even if Delila's words were incoherent, she said enough for me to understand that something terrible had happened on the Penelope. I wanted to believe that it was a small injury and that Delilah was blowing it out of proportions because she was not used to battles, but I still had a bad feeling that I couldn't shake.

When I arrived on the ship, the fighting on board had stopped. I could see the Coast Guard ship speeding away in the night. Hazel, Leo, and the kids were huddled around the disarticulated body of Lewis. There was a lot of blood running on the deck. I pushed my friends aside to get to Lewis. His breathing was raspy and every gulp of air he took in looked like a fight of its own.

I first used my powers to make Lewis go to sleep, to ease his pain. Then, I located the wound. There was only one, on his right side, a few centimetres away from his belly button.

"Leo, give me scissors," I ordered, my brain working twice it's normal speed. Leo took a pair of scissors from his toolbelt and handed them over to me. I used them to cut open Lewi's shirt. I could take a good look at the injury. It was not looking good. I heard Killian groan and take a step back.

"Okay," I said, taking in a deep breath. "Looks like he was hit by debris from the explosion. A piece of metal is lodged inside, but didn't come out the other way, so that's good."

"Can you save him?" Killian asked frantically.

"I will do my best, but--" I trailed off. I didn't want to tell him that the piece of metal had an irregular shape and that by taking it out I might touch Lewis's guts and make the matters worse. Also, I could see that the wound had already started to get infected. I was trained in medicine, but I was specialized in magical injuries, therefore I was feeling that this case might be more difficult than any other I had faced before.

I hovered my hands over Lewis's wound. With my healing powers, I managed to clean the blood all over his abdomen and belly. I then placed my hands around the piece of metal. It was mostly inside the body, but a small piece of it was sticking out. I concentrated and the piece of metal started to dissolve into gray dust and it flew away. At that moment I noticed that Lewis's skin was turning pale gray and becoming colder to the touch.

I might have had a weird expression on my face, or the others also noticed the sudden change in Lewis's state, because they all started to grow uneasy around me. Still using my powers, I willed the wound to close. Lewis was left with clean stitches as if he had been seen by a surgeon in a mortal hospital.

Once the wound was cleaned and closed, I tended to Lewis's vital signs, which were getting alarming. His pulse was noticeably slowing and his breathing was laboured. I tried to stay calm, but the novelty of the situation was a bit overwhelming. I never was in this type of situation before. I had never tended to such a serious injury on such a young person.

I was biting my lip hard, trying to save him with magic. Leo was fidgeting with the buckle of his belt but was otherwise abnormally quiet. Hazel put her hands on James's and Killian's shoulder. James was clearly in shock, pale and his mouth open, unmoving. Killian however, shook off Hazel's hand and kneeled beside Lewis.

"I'm so, so sorry," he simply said. Killian put a hand on Lewis's forehead and closed his eyes. I felt energy coursing through Lewis's body and I looked up in disbelief. Lewis's eyes fluttered open and I felt his heart picking up its pace. It was short-lived, however. It lasted long enough for Killian and Lewis to exchange a glance. Lewis's eyes grew bigger, Killian had a regretful smile and the exchange ended.

Lewis closed his eyes. He drew in a last shaky breath and stopped moving. He was dead.


	27. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Do you remember Rick's message at the beginning of House of Hades? Well, that's exactly what we'd like to write right now. Hahaha, seriously, we added trigger warnings in the tags, even if we know that might not be necessary. Like if there was a TW before The Burning Maze I don't know if I'd gave read it, it's a bit spoilery no? Anyway, I added grief also, therefore buckle up for the rest. Sorry if this sounds depressing, but we had the feeling that YA novels don't really represent very well the effect that dealing with death can have on kids, so we tried the best as we could. But don't worry, you'll soon understand who's the bad guy in this crazy story. Happy reading, and as always, comments are much appreciated :)
> 
> -E&C

~Piper~

The captain was facing me, waiting for an answer. A ray of moonlight was shining on her amber-coloured face and a light breeze blew in her long, dark hair. She had a stern face and had a semi-amused, semi-disgusted smile. She was observing me so intensely that I felt stripped naked. I had no idea of what she knew about me, but she looked like she could decipher me without mistake.

"I will never accept this!" I shouted at the young woman. "You are asking me to betray my friends. Not a chance this will work."

"Very well," she answered. Then, she only had one move to make for the guards to throw themselves at me again. She disappeared once again into her cabin, glancing at me one last time. I didn't have the time to come back to my senses before being attacked from all sides. I tried to defend myself in an uncontained dance with the guards. To the left, to the right, again to the left, light on my feet, I dodged the blows. I made a guard roll away from me and hit another one to the face. However, the guards were outnumbering me.

Suddenly, I was wiped out and thrown to the ground a few feet away. Someone caught me from behind and put a cloth over my mouth in order to stop me from using my charmspeak. I tried to fight, in vain. I was tied by a guard who was reeking of fish. He dragged me against my will to the hold. I could only catch a glance at the stars one last time, hoping to see Jason in the sky. He didn't appear.

I was taken in a cell and I heard the guard locking the heavy door behind him and his footsteps subsided. It was pitch black, I couldn't see in front of me. I was trying to find a way to get out by punching the cold walls. I felt like I was back in the dirty cave in which I was caught by cyclops with Jason and Leo. Nothing helped, I was stuck. I hoped that Jason and Percy could keep the ship from going away, taking me with it.

I still felt the boat rocking beneath my feet, a sign that the storm was still raging on outside. I sat back down in the cell, trying to find a way to get out of this situation. I wasn't Annabeth or Leo. Confronted to metal walls, I didn't know what to do. It was easier for me to get out when I was with people, using their emotions to my advantage.

How did I get myself in this situation? We never should have split the group, what were we thinking? We weren't invincible. Maybe we had stayed too long at Camp Jupiter and we had forgotten our vulnerability. We were considered to be heroes, after all. By at what cost? Did I ever feel safe? The coldness of the metal was piercing my clothes and made me realize quickly that no, I was not safe and I never had been. I wondered when I was going to get a break from all this when I was going to have the right to rest. Dozens of demigods could only find peace in death and this thought sent chills down my spine.

Suddenly, the ship stopped moving. Oh no, oh no, oh no that's a bad sign, I thought. Why would have Percy and Jason stop the storm? They could not abandon me like that. The boat started moving again and I knew it was bringing me far away from the Penelope. I hope that at least it will bring me closer to Rachel, I thought.

~Frank~

My team was the last one to get back to the Penelope. The whole crew was on the deck, looking anxious. Jason was pacing the length of the ship, biting his lip on the spot near his scar. He was looking as if he was about to break down. I could also see a white sheet on the deck, covering the body of what looked to be like a child. My heart sank.

"Guys, what is going on?" I asked anxiously.

"Piper is missing," said Jason.

"Lewis is dead," said Hazel simultaneously.

My legs almost gave out. Thankfully I was near the railing so I could hold on to something.

"Okay, Jason, tell me about Piper," I said, trying to figure out a plan.

"I don't know, man," he exclaimed. "I left her alone on a ship and when I came back for her they were gone! Her, the boat, vanished! It's all my fault, I should never have left her alone, I should have been there for her, I always--"

"Woah, slow down," Annabeth chimed in, placing both hands on Jason's shoulders to force him to stop pacing. "Look at me. It's not your fault. The plan went wrong. We will find her okay? But for that, you'll need to focus and stop this downwards spiral right now, okay?"

Jason nodded. Percy got closer and took Annabeth elbow, pushing her gently aside as if to tell her that he would handle things from there. Percy and Annabeth had this ability to communicate through a glance, though a simple touch. Percy and Jason faced each other briefly, then Percy pulled the other man into a hug. Jason could not hold back his tears.

This was hard to watch. I was anxious about Piper. I was heartbroken for Jason, who had gone through so much in the past weeks. The failed quests, then his girlfriend's disappearance... If I were him, I might have broken down way before.

I turned my gaze to the white sheet on the deck. Hazel noticed and approached me.

"Lewis," she breathed. "An explosion. It was an accident. Hugo abandoned the ship. He was one of them."

Her voice caught and I pulled her closer.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered, in shock. "We have no plan, we don't know who we are fighting... We are basically sailing blindly. And now a second friend disappeared."

Hazel didn't answer. We stayed in our embrace a little while. I got distracted and I started looking for the others. Unable to see them, I asked Hazel if they were okay.

"Yes," she assured me. "They are tending to the ship. And the kids are resting. Oh gods, the kids! We should go check on them."

Hazel took off and ran below deck. I followed her. While the adults were freaking out about Piper on the deck, the kids were left to themselves. They took shelter together in the boys' room. James was rocking himself back and forth in his hammock, his gaze lost in the void. Adelaide was petting her dog without much conviction, looking lost in thoughts. She also had a very scary look on her face, as if she was plotting murder, or revenge, or both. Delilah was whispering comforting words to Killian, rubbing gently his back as the boy was hiding his face in his hands, unmoving.

"How are you guys holding up?" Hazel asked, clearly not in her element. Being the daughter of the god of the underworld didn't mean she was not understanding of the fact that everyone lived grief in a different way.

"He's not dead," James blurted out. "He's just asleep. He's going to wake up soon, isn't he?"

Neither Hazel nor I answered, but we smiled uneasily and empathetically at the boy. It was at this moment that we realized how young James was, how much James was sticking out like a thumb from our group. He was the only mortal left on board. He had nothing left to hang on to since his best friend died in circumstances even we demigods could not have imagined.

"You should rest," Hazel continued. "Try and sleep a bit. Call me if you need anything. Please, I know we only met, but you can always come to me for help. Anything, really."

The atmosphere in the room changed. There was still pain and grief, but there was also hope. Somehow, all the kids had put their trust in Hazel, convinced that she was genuine. I followed my wife out of the cabin and we went back upstairs. All our friends were now gathered around Lewis's covered body. No one was talking.

I broke the silence. "We should do something for him. A memorial. I think it would be a nice gesture. To him and to the kids."

"That's a good idea," said Percy.

"But do we know if he had faith? Was he baptized or something? Does he have any family?" Calypso asked.

"No, he was an orphan," I replied. "I was thinking we could do something like a traditional Ancient Greek burial."

"I like it. Let's start preparing," Annabeth said, already getting to work.

I smiled bitterly. I didn't say it, but I thought that a memorial could also help the adults. Even if we didn't know Lewis very well, Will, Hazel and Calypso had seen him die. It could be a way for all of us to say goodbye.


	28. Saying Goodbye

~Killian~

Lewis is dead and it is your fault. Lewis is dead and it is your fault. Lewis is dead and it is your fault. I couldn't take theses words out of my mind, even as I was lying in my hammock, trying to rest. The grief was making it hard for me to breathe.

As my thoughts were bringing me further and further down in my misery, I found myself having difficulty keeping my eyes open. My eyelids were heavy and my vision was starting to get blurry. My body seemed heavy, too heavy, and a sense of relief washed over me like a wave.

Killian, pay attention, I don't have a lot of time.

I was startled. I could not see anything except a thick fog. Then, out of the mist came out a terrifying yet reassuring figure. It was like those stories of old or terminally ill people who fear death, but still welcome it like an old friend. This was the feeling I was getting right now. The man was tall, muscular and had a wide frame. Next to him, I looked tiny. At his temples, two small wings were fluttering.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to sound brave.

"I am your father. I am Hypnos, the god of sleep. Listen to me my son, it is important. I am the last god able to communicate by dreams. A perk of being, well... the god of sleep. She is suppressing all of our powers. Being a primordial deity is my last chance against her. But I'm using the last of my strength to war you."

"I don't understand--"

"The gods are dying. You need to help us. She rounded all the gods up. She will crush us and kill us. She will stop at nothing, because she's planning to die with us, too. It's the centre of her plan."

"Hang on, who are you talking about? Who is she?"

"The inevitable."

I wanted to ask more questions, but I felt someone shaking my shoulder lightly and softly calling my name. I opened my eyes for good to a beautiful woman. I tried to remember her name.

"Calypso?"

"Yes, Killian. Sorry to wake you up, you looked troubled in your sleep, I thought you were making a nightmare. Get up, we prepared something for all of you."

Even if Calypso's friendly face gave me the feeling that I could tell her anything and that she would understand, I decided not to tell her about my dream. Not yet. I straightened my wrinkled clothes and followed her. Calypso led me off the ship.

We walked a few minutes and we arrived at a bay, where all the other crew members were. Everyone had dressed up the best they could. They were all facing the sea in a semicircle, surrounding Lewis's lifeless body. His clothes had been changed and he had been cleaned. He looked peaceful, almost as if he was asleep. A grave had been dug on the beach and Lewis had been laid near the hole.

"Welcome, Killian," Hazel said. "Frank had the idea to organize a ceremony for Lewis."

"That's... That's very kind of you," I said, the emotion squeezing my throat.

"We are gathered here today to honour the memory of our friend Lewis. According to the Ancient Greeks, this ritual allows the dead to find peacefully their way to the Underworld. No doubt that Lewis will find a place among the righteous and pure of hearts."

Nico, who was hosting the ceremony alongside Hazel, continued talking, but I could only catch a few words. I still was in denial. I could not wrap my mind around the fact that Lewis was no longer among us. I thought that if I looked at him long enough, he would get up and tell me it was all a joke.

"It is now time to place a coin under Lewis's tongue, so he will be able to pay Charon and cross the River Styx," Nico said, taking a golden, ancient-looking coin out of his pocket. He handed it to me, but I did not take it.

"I can't." I simply said.

Nico didn't insist. As if he already knew that I was going to say this, he turned to Hazel. She took the coin, kneeled beside Lewis and placed the coin gently into his mouth. Then, she took the sheet covering the lower half of his body and pulled it over him, covering him completely. Hazel then went back to her place near Nico.

The man gestured to Percy and Annabeth, who took Lewis and lowered him into the grave.

"The Asphodel," Nico continued, "is a flower to honour the dead. They bloom and grow in the Underworld. Delilah, please."

Delilah shyly took a step forward. She closed her eyes, cupped her hands and flowers started growing in her palms. In the end, she had a stalk of asphodel for each of us. She distributed it. It was now time to walk to Lewis's grave, throw in the flowers and say a last goodbye. I noticed that even the adults and the other kids, who didn't know Lewis as well as I did, said a few words. I was the last to go. I could not find the words. As I spoke, I knew that I would always regret them and that I would only be able to find the right ones for only many years in the future.

"Lewis, I'm so sorry. I should have told you about the harpy. That was a horrible last thing for you to see. But you had to know, I had no right to take that memory from you. I don't know a lot about the Underworld, in fact, I know nothing, but I hope that you'll find peace there. I will never stop being sorry. I dragged you in this, and look at how it turned out. It is all my fault, please forgive me, okay?"

I threw my asphodels and joined the semicircle, bitter tears rushing down my face. Adelaide, as scary as she looked, squeezed my shoulder. Enodia curled up next to me, resting her head on the side of my leg. It was soothing.

Nico raised his hands and a mix of sand and soil filled the hole that served as Lewis's grave. I was far from okay. The grief was still crushing me and I felt like I could sleep for days. Still, somewhere deep inside my heart, a small cut was healed. It might be a baby step, but for the first time, I realized that I was not alone with the pain. I could share it with others and this gave me comfort.

~Thalia~

Everything was calm at the top of Half-Blood Hill. A light breeze was blowing on my face, bringing with it aromas of the strawberry fields. All seemed normal at camp, even if the cabins were now overflowing with a mix of new and old campers.

In the beginning, the relationship between campers had been somewhat chaotic. The mix of old and new head counsellors had been explosive since nobody seemed to be able to listen to each other. The first week, the Ares cabin started a fight when half the campers sided with Sherman Yang, former head counsellor - who didn't want to contribute to the chores - and Abigail Davis, current head counsellor - who didn't agree with Sherman. The situation was quickly sorted out, now that we had put together tiny houses using Annabeth's blueprints from several years before. This way, the older campers had a place to stay if they didn't get along with their new cabin mates.

These days, the Big House was always crowded. When I was not patrolling in the woods with the Hunters or a group of campers, I was in the Big House with Chiron, Grover, Clarisse and some other head counsellors. Nissa Barrera, a former camper and daughter of Hephaestus, was giving us every day a new plan for a machine supposed to protect us. Sons and daughters of Hephaestus were working overtime in Bunker 9 to build Nissa's plans and trying to make sense of old plans left behind by Leo when he was a camper.

We might have looked organized, but still, the tension was palpable. We didn't have any news from the gods and we had no prophecy to work with. The enemy was invisible and even monster attacks were less and less frequent. I could feel the anxiety on the campers' faces during the days. The calm before the storm.

However, I knew that the former campers were the most affected by the situation. They had managed to survive and to carry on with their lives and here they were, back at square one. Clarisse was fulminating when she arrived at camp. Sometimes, I tried to put myself in their shoes. What would I have done if I could continue to grow up and if I had survived? Would I have studied and found a normal job amongst mortals? This possibility was always upsetting. Before reuniting with Jason, I thought I had lost all the people who mattered to me. I knew that I had taken the right decision, but sometimes I found it difficult to see my friends and my little brother grow up. Furthermore, I realized that I always had this stress coming with being responsible for the Hunters, to be their leaders. Now that Artemis had disappeared, I was a bit lost.

Suddenly, a noise behind me shook me out of my daydreaming. I had the reflex to ready Aegis. Chiron was standing in the shadows.

"I don't think this will be necessary," he said, looking away from my magical shield. "Will you walk with me, Thalia?"

I could see in his eyes that he was worried. "Of course."

We went around the Big House and the strawberry fields to reach the woods. Chiron walked slowly to allow me to keep up with him.

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked.

"I'm sure they've never been better!"

I tried to put a smile on my face. I knew that Chiron was worried particularly for Annabeth, who had been his protégée for a long time.

He continued. "These last years we avoided many ends of the world, and still I wonder if we're not going to face another one soon. Maybe we are close to the end..."

I tried to understand what he was trying to say without being able to. The situation at camp seemed far from being the end of the world, except maybe the food fight we had to manage two days prior without success in the Dining Pavilion.

"Chiron, if a god or goddess managed to end the reign of the Olympians, what would happen to us immortals who are not with the gods?"

"I don't know, Thalia. Maybe we'll simply die. Or maybe we'll have to wait until the Olympians take back their power. I have no idea." He paused. "Sometimes I wonder what's the point to all this. I've trained heroes for millennia and I know that we have to protect the world from monsters and crazy gods. But what if in the process I only succeeded to create broken children?"

I was taken aback. What could I answer? I had never seen Chiron so uncertain of himself.

"I don't know, Chiron, but as long as we'll have a reason to fight, I will be there and I will fight for people I love."

"And when they are dead Thalia, what will you do?"


	29. A Meeting With the Enemy

~Rachel~

I had lost track of time. Days and nights were the same here and I had lost count of how many days I had been stuck in a cold, dark, and damp cell. Even the meals (if you could call what I was eating a meal... It was more of a light snack) were not brought to me on a regular basis. I knew this because sometimes my stomach hurt so much from hunger that I couldn't sleep, and other times I barely felt the need to eat when another plate was brought to me. Therefore I started to ration myself and stretch my meals for long periods of time. I was not starving per se, but I noticed that my ribs were sticking out more than usual.

I also felt guilty, because desperation became more and more my default mindset. There wasn't a lot of stimulation. I had no one to talk to, I could not see any kind of way for me to escape, and I didn't even see the light of day. My thoughts often wandered and I started to resent my friends. As the days passed, I started getting mad at them for not being there to rescue me. Then I remembered that they had no idea of where I was (me neither, as a matter of fact) and that they also had issues of their own. So I was feeling more miserable.

There was a jingle of keys in the distance. My hearing grew more acute since I was in this cell, so I could hear someone approaching long before I could see the person. Without surprise, it was Julian. He was the only person in this prison that I ever see, really. His electric blue hair was messier today. He was in dire need of a haircut. Or an encounter with a comb. A mischievous light was shining in his eyes, still, he looked tense.

"Rachel," he said. "The boss wants to see you."

I was surprised. At last, I could get some answers. I could try to make sense of all of this, find a way to escape, maybe communicate with my friends! Julian took out of his pocket a piece of cloth and handed it to me.

"Put this over your eyes."

I decided to do as Julian asked. Since he offered to help me escape, I trusted him. I put the blindfold on but did not cover entirely my eyes. I could still see my feet. However, the piece of cloth grew magically and tightened over my eyes. I heard Julian chuckle.

"Now don't play any trick on me. The boss will not like it. I'm coming in now to tie your hands."

I heard him coming into my cell. He took my wrists and tied them with a rough rope. He seemed to know what he was doing because once he was done the knot was unmoving. Julian placed a hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me gently forward. Then we started walking. I stumbled many times on the uneven floor, and every time Julian caught my arm to keep me from falling. I was completely disoriented and I felt like I had been walking for hours. Sometimes, I felt a breeze, a bit of fresh air. Maybe my mind was sticking me, but I could bet I felt the heat of the sun on my skin.

Then, Julian caught my arm and brought me roughly to a stop. He pushed on my shoulder, forcing me into a sitting position. I was glad to feel something like a chair to break my falling. I felt my hands being untied to be tied again to what was definitely a chair. Lastly, Julian took off my blindfold. I was seated in a sort of office. The walls were made of expensive-looking, dark and carved wood. There was no window, but the thick carpet felt like soft moss and pine needles in a forest. There was a massive table at the center of the room, behind which was seated a man. Actually, he was sprawled in a chair, one leg over the armrest. He was looking at me with a mix of curiosity and wickedness.

The man was wearing a black three-piece suit. His hair, messy and shoulder-length, was black except for one silver-white strand. This reminded me of the one Percy and Annabeth had. I had a hard time understanding if the man before me was a divinity or a regular mortal. He didn't have any extraordinary energy coming from him, but his eyes were unsettling. They looked like they were burning. His skin was white, but not metaphorically. It was white like a sheet of paper, like snow, like the froth on the waves.

"Rachel," the man said. His voice was rich and deep, terrifying and chilling. He spoke with calm and confidence. "Welcome. We met, but you don't remember. You speak truly fascinating prophecies, I must say. They were very useful, thank you."

The man smiled and swung his legs to get up. He dragged his chair over the carpet and brought it over to sit in front of me. He rested his chin in his left palm. I noticed that his other hand was missing.

"So your friends are lost, pretty much, since they don't know where to go. Don't worry, they'll find me because I'm calling in them. Both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter are being sealed shut as we speak, so no demigod tried to ruin the little party I'm about to throw for you and your crew of has-been heroes."

The man was terrifying. I was frozen into place, too afraid to ask anything. I was not a coward, I was an oracle and I had seen my fair share of scary things. But this was different. I was facing a very intelligent man, I could see it in his fiery eyes. He had an aura of magic, but it was not natural. I got the sense that he was given powers, however, that was possible.

"You know how they say party like it's the end of the world?" the man asked. "Well... This time it's true. I'm going to prepare something for your friends. We're going to have a good time, then it's going to be the time to say goodbye to the gods. All of them. And it is truly going to be a blast..."

"Who are you," I managed to say. "Why are you doing all this?"

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm Ossian. Not the Scottish bard, mind you. But here they also call me boss. Of course, ultimately, I'm only dispatching orders from above."

After this, Ossian looked at the ceiling, joining his hands in mock prayer.

"You see, I'm just a little mortal going a god's deeds. But I'm going to be the last pawn. Think about this: we are in a game of chess. I'm a pawn, nobody cares about me, I'm not dangerous and I can barely move. But in some rare instances, the pawn can take out the king and win the game. This is what is going to happen. With the help of my queen. She's going to sacrifice herself so I can live and win. Oh, don't you love this analogy?"

"You're insane."

"No, I just find metaphors so fun. Remember, Ossian was a bard, and I like poetry."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Clever girl! Well, because I want you to help me. Listen, you were a mortal girl. Because of the gods' negligence, you will never be able to do things you would have normally have done. Travel, study, start a company, build a family... You can't do this, because you are an Oracle. you have an obligation. You are cursed. Your life was taken away from you and now you have to serve the gods. Did you ever consent to this? Can you go back? No. No to all of these questions."

I was taken aback. Ossian was getting into my head. I was so tired from being locked up, my morale was so low that I found myself relating to what he was saying. Yes, I was starting to grow resentful.

"I see that you like what I say," Ossian continued. "Rachel, You can change this. You can go back to a normal life. You can fulfill your dreams. You only have to say that you are with me. Together, with some help from above, we can defeat the gods once and for all. And not just the Greek gods. All of them."

Ossian gestured to Julian. He started to untie me. He put the blindfold back on my eyes.

"Think about it, Rachel. Tomorrow you will give me an answer." Ossian whispered into my ear, a hand on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. "You can make a change and better the lives of billions of people. No more god, no more useless deaths, no more war. It had to happen, it is inevitable."

Julian started to drag me out of the room back to my cell. I was starting to be out of breath. My brain was on override.

"Oh, I almost forgot," added Ossian. "Ananke sends her regards."

I stiffened. I could not walk. The road back to my cell was torture, my legs were heavy and my heart was pounding. When we finally reached the cell, Julian took off the blindfold again, but my vision was blurry. I didn't notice that there was a human shape waiting for me in my cell.

"Rachel?"

I screamed. It was Piper.

~Delilah~

At first, I didn't understand. Death was an abstract concept when you didn't lose someone you care about before. Nothing could prepare me for the weight that just was put on my shoulders. And I almost didn't know Lewis. I think that his death made me realize the precarity and uncertainty in which we were at the moment and the fragility of life. The adults seemed used to it however and this shocked me even more. I had read my fair share of fantasy books with dragons and knights in shining armour dying bloodily in the arms of their mistress. But the young boy lying on the deck had nothing to compare with these stories. He had been dislocated and if we looked only at his face one could almost believe that he was peacefully sleeping. It was hard to believe that only a few hours before, he was running, talking, shouting and living, as simple as it may sound.

I was dazed and I didn't know how to function. Everything seemed terribly absurd. Every movement was torture. I was wandering without a goal, without knowing where I was going. I had often heard that being surrounded by caring people after a death could help me to cope with the pain, but I had no one around me. I let myself fall on a couch in the common room, without energy.

I was reliving the scene again and again. When was this going to end? Hugo, the explosion, Lewis, the blood... Someone came to sit at my side. I turned my head and realized that it was Percy, his black hair like the waves of the ocean, his green gaze piercing me, but also understanding me.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I know that this question sounds stupid, but I think it still has to be asked."

"I... I..." I tried to answer before breaking down into tears. Percy came closer and put his arms around me to comfort me. He was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt that smelled the salty breeze of the ocean. Normally, the smell of the fields was the one comforting me the most, but I could get used to this.

My tears stained his shirt as my shoulders jerked with my sobs. He surely thought that I was pathetic. I had dreamed about Percy the whole way to him. Now, I found myself even more stupid to be blushing every time he spoke to me. I came to hate myself even more every time that I thought he's so hot. And now he was holding me as I hit rock bottom.

"I know what it feels like to face death. Hum... I also know that words can only do so much to help someone feel better. Only know that we are here."

I tried to take back control over my breathing pattern, without success. He was trying to make me feel better. He had no idea of what was going on in my head and I was disgusted with myself. Why was I so much affected by the death of a boy that I only barely knew? What did I get weak in the knees every time Percy walked past me? Had I any control over my emotions? I raised my head and looked into Percy's green eyes. Their deep green. I pushed him back violently. What is wrong with me?

"What's wrong?" He asked, appalled.

"Everything is wrong!" The words got out of my mouth in an interrupted and untamed stream. "I never really had parents to take care of me, my mother that I barely see sent me away without any explanation, I was betrayed by the only person that could have been my friend, I see a boy die in his own blood, and I have a crush on a 30 years old man whom I don't know!"

Percy looked at me for a few seconds without talking then seemed to understand. His expression went from worried to troubles, then from troubled to surprised.

"Who, me?"

The blood rushed to my cheeks and without adding a word I ran to lock myself in my cabin, tears still streaming down my face.


	30. Sparks in the Darkness

~Jason~

I left Frank and Will together. I needed to do something, walk, run, hit something, anything. My feet carried me to Leo's workshop. Maybe he was there. The closest I got, the more I could feel the heat coming out of the workshop. I also heard weird noises, Leo had to be in there. Only this soothed me. Leo had always been one of my best friends.

I entered the room, the smell of grease attacking my nostrils. Leo was working on some projects a bit farther into the room. He turned around when he heard my footsteps.

"My man!" he exclaimed. He already had dirty hair and a drop of sweat dripped from his nose. That's what I liked about Leo, he as always there to lift my spirits up. He welcomed me to his lair with a bright smile. I could however see in his eyes that he as not feeling as good as he made it seem.

"Where's Calypso?" I asked.

"She's taking a nap, she didn't get to sleep very much last night, in case you didn't notice."

I suddenly realize that I myself didn't sleep a lot the night before and that I was exhausted.

"Hey, Jason. I know that all of this is not easy. Come on, come and cry on my shoulder," he said, half-teasing, half-serious.

I accepted this invitation with relief. I knew that Leo would listen to me without pitying me. I breathed in deeply.

"It's my fault again, Leo. Everything that I wanted to avoid happened. I wanted that young boys and girls stopped dying, I wanted to protect Piper. And look at what happened. I don't know if I can take it anymore. I always was the confidant leader marching troops to their deaths. I didn't choose this position, no one ever asked me if I wanted to be Praetor. I can't play the game anymore. Two wars were already enough. A third one? That's too much..."

"Hey man, it be like that sometimes." Leo's reference to an old meme made me smile. He continued: "Seriously, I know that it's not your fault and you know it too. And I also know that you won't give up because you never gave up. We have to transform our pain in motivation, there is no other way.

"Since when are you a philosopher?"

"Oh, you know, dating a 3000 years old girl helps."

I gave a thankful smile to Leo. He had a way with words to get my spirits up. I tried to transmit my gratitude through my smile. I got up, ready to leave because I really had to sleep. Right before exiting the room, Leo added:

"Jason, don't let this quest only be yours. Percy and you have a tendency to think that you have to save us by sacrificing yourself, but we are here for you. Don't forget it."

"Look who's talking."

"I had a plan okay? And it worked. And I hope that we will find a plan soo so we can get back on track."

I rolled my eyes. How could he still be making jokes about this subject? Leo would always surprise me.

~Hugo~

Soon after leaving the Penelope, I got back to work. Maybe I failed my principal task, recruiting the children and bringing them with me, but all was not lost. There were still ways for me to help my boss to reach his goal.

I found a quiet spot in the haul of the boat I was on. The sun was barely starting to rise and most of the crew was asleep. I went to the mess hall, sat at the table and opened a laptop that I borrowed from one of the guards. I opened my email for the first time in forever. There was a fair share of junk mail and spam, but I quickly found the email I was looking for. I clicked the link and opened the Zoom app. I joined the meeting just in time.

"Welcome, Hugo. I'm glad you could make it."

Ossian had called the meeting and was the animator. He filled us in on the latest developments.

"The Piper woman is here, thank you, Captain Moretti, for handing her to us in such a professional way."

"It is my pleasure," replied Captain Moretti. She was on the boat that took Piper away from the Penelope crew. Today was a free day because she was wearing casual clothes. She was seated in front of a bookcase and I could see on the wall behind her a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the École Polytechnique of Montréal.

"As for you, Hugo, I can't say that I'm proud," Ossian said, his words cutting like a knife. I swallowed hard. I was not ashamed of having failed before the call, but now Ossian's disappointed look made me change my opinion of myself.

"I am sorry, boss," I said shamefully. "The kids are stubborn. Though I think there might be a way to destabilize them. We can lure them."

"And how do you think we can do that?"

"We can take something away from them. Someone, more specifically," I blurted out. The truth was that I was improvising something. I was making up a plan as I spoke.

Ossian knitted his eyebrows together, rested his chin on one hand and looked interested. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Jason lost Piper. He will want to find her back. Percy and Annabeth have children together, we can try to kidnap them. They live at Camp Jupiter with their grandmother. Adelaide has a dog, Enodia. It's her only true friend, we could use this to our advantage."

"Okay," mumbled Ossian. "But what about the other adults?"

"They are loyal to their friends. Almost too loyal. Where one goes, the others follow. If they all had a fatal flaw as a group, it would be loyalty."

"And what about the children, the young demigods," Captain Moretti chimed in. "I head one of them as killed by our team. This surely plays against us."

"You have a point, Captain," I conceded. "But they are young and impressionable. They were thrown in a world they didn't know, with people they didn't know. And look how this turned out! One of them died. It was one of the mortals, yes, but still, he was their friend."

"I like this," approved Ossian. "We can use a mistake to our advantage. We can blame the gods for this, and maybe the children will want them to die, after all. This could work." He stretched and went back to sit crookedly in his chair. "I need to prepare a convincing speech now. Thank you guys for this insightful meeting. Bye!"

Ossian ended the video chat. I was left facing a white screen. Would you like to update Zoom? Accept or Decline. No, I did not want my computer to turn off and on again, thank you very much. I had work to do.

~Percy~

I was lying on the bed in my cabin, contemplating the white ceiling. The ship was rocking gently with the waves crashing on the hull. It was morning now. The sky was empty of clouds as if the night had been as quiet as all the others. The port started to get animated again and I could hear the different boats' motors and pieces of conversations between tourists. My head was empty and I had difficulty to understand everything that had happened in the last few hours.

I heard the door open and I caught a glimpse of Annabeth entering the cabin. Her blond hair was put up in her usual ponytail. The gray of her eyes comforted me. We didn't need words. She slipped beside be and I held her in my arms. Thanatos had yet again taken someone. Death had been so frequent around us that I had no tear left to cry to express my sadness. Every time, it was like a new knife piercing my body.

Annabeth, her nose in my shirt and her head in the crook of my shoulder asked me how the kids were holding up.

"Hazel went to see Killian and Nico is with Adelaide. I don't know how they're doing. I hope they are going to get through it. The first death is always the most difficult."

"And Delilah?" Annabeth asked. I bit my lip. I didn't know what to think about my last discussion with Delilah. We had decided that it was best if I talked to her since Frank was taking care of both Jason, who had lost Piper, and Will, who hadn't manage to save Lewis. Leo and Calypso had stayed together. Furthermore, Delilah seemed to confide in me the most. Thinking about it, Calypso should have gone instead of me. I could not have imagined how the meeting turned out and this made me uneasy. "Hum... I don't know how or why, but hum... Does she have a crush on me? I don't think I comforted her, I think I upset her even more."

Annabeth smirked, probably laughing at my tactlessness and my apparent discomfort.

"What did you tell her," Annabeth interrogated.

"Nothing... I didn't have the time, she left."

Annabeth raised her eyes to the sky. "Oh Percy, you really have no idea about how to deal with the feelings of a teenage girl."

"How were you expecting me to react? I'm not a celebrity, Brad Pitt knows what to say in these situations. Percy, no. And why does this keep happening?"

"Gee, I wonder! Percy, even if Delilah doesn't know your reputation, she's not the first one to have feelings for you. You never realized how young people look at you in New Rome? Jason and you leave practically no one indifferent."

I looked at Annabeth, perplexed. Was I really that blind? I found myself to be particularly naive in this situation and I had probably managed to lose all of Delilah's trust in me. However, I wanted so much to be there for her. In my teenage years, I would have given anything to have someone older to help me in all the moments of grief I had gone through. Yes, my mom was always there, but she hadn't lived the constant fear I had and she never had failed to protect a friend.

"Don't worry, Percy. It's something I always found so charming in you. You don't know the impression you leave on other people."

She smiled and I placed a kiss on her forehead.

"And you, how do you feel?"

Her smile went to playful to painful. "It's not easy, Percy. You know my fatal flaw. I can't help but ask myself what would have happened if I had stayed on deck with Lewis or what would have happened if I had gone with Piper. And then I can't keep myself from seeing Luke in Lewis."

I asked myself quickly which Luke she was referring to, but I didn't ask the question aloud. She continued.

"And then the memorials always remind me the one we had for you and... it's difficult to accept that we lost someone again. And it's even more difficult not to feel as much sadness as the first time. Lewis deserves as many tears as I cried for Thalia. But it's become so normal, I... I don't have words."

A silent tear fell from her cheek and she put her face in my shirt. I put my chin on her head and listen to her breathing.

I understood Annabeth too well. I was dull with grief and weary of all this. When was this going to end?


	31. Back to Their Roots

~Adelaide~

The vibe on the boat was becoming heavier and heavier. The more the day went on, the harder the sun was hitting. The temperature raised to an uncomfortable height and the humidity levels did not help. I walked slowly on the wooden floor along the cabins. The wood creaked under my feet. I listened to the silence choking the crew of the Penelope. It was hard to breathe, I was suffocating.

All the passengers were meeting one another, in a vain effort to find comfort. Nico had come to see me earlier. The conversation had been brief because we weren't able to understand each other. It was deceitful because I had the impression that he could have been able to relate to the darkness that had been haunting me forever. He seemed to carry something different in him, like a scar that had taken time to heal. I could see this deep cut in him in every smile he tried to crack. He was doing a good job of hiding it. I was unable to decide if he was hiding it from himself, too. Nico was fascinating in a way because I could see a bit of myself in him.

It was true that all the crew members were wearing scars of their own, at different depths. I could see in their eyes this pain, silent and so loud at the same time. I could not yet understand at this point what they had lived, I could only imagine it since I had just entered their world. However, I was starting to get the idea.

I had the feeling that Lewis's death had affected me less than the others. I had learned a long time ago to hide my emotions and to forget them. Anyway, when you're already at rock bottom, comfortably settled, the storms above your head could no longer reach you. My misery could not be deeper. Or could it?

During my conversation with Nico, I had understood quickly that he had learned to accept death. I guess that being the son of Hades was helping. Still, something in his voice left me to believe that a long process was behind this acceptance. For me, death had surrounded me like a cotton ball, making my movements slower, the sounds more muffled around me. Death had made me more comfortable at rock bottom and I was losing more and more my will to reach the surface. It was starting to become more difficult every day to imagine a world where I was okay, where the sufferings were easier to bear.

Anyway, after a few attempts at comforting me, confronted with my will to stay silent, Nico had decided that it was better for me to stay alone to face reality. I had used this occasion to see around a bit of the ship. To observe the rest of the crew trying to face reality, with their friends or better half.

My steps led me to the common room, where I found Frank and Will seated at the table. They had turned on the TV in last resort to let their thoughts wander away from their painful memories. Not wanting to enter a conversation, I was ready to leave the room.

However, the music introducing the news report caught my attention. I turned around to look at the screen as Frank and Will were doing. They were more looking than watching and trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

"Searches for the missing girl, Adelaide Dämmer, disappeared in Berlin a few days ago, are still underway," said the monotonous voice of the host. I saw my picture showing up on the screen. It was an old picture of me, at my twelfth birthday party, where I was awkwardly trying to smile.

"The authorities suspect that the child ran away on her own. Adelaide's parents are convinced that she will come back soon and believe that she was rather kidnapped. They announced that they are ready to give anything to see their girl come back to them in good health." The image changed. I could now see my adoptive parents crying on the screen, trying to speak in incoherent words.

Will and Frank, surprised, looked from the screen to me, then from me to the screen.

"Adelaide, you didn't tell us that your parents were looking for you," Will said.

"You didn't want to contact them?" Frank inquired.

"A new hashtag was created on social media," the host continued. "#BringBackAdelaide has been trending for the last two hours on Twitter. The disappearing of the young girl brings to light the lack of psychological resources available in high schools in the country. Citizens take this opportunity to--"

I turned off the television to put an end to this nonsense.

"I don't have parents. These were my adoptive parents and they never loved me, anyway," I tried to justify myself.

"Adelaide, your parents look devastated, maybe you should try to contact them to let them know that you're still alive."

I was trying to lose my patience. Who did they think they were? My parents? They could see clearly how it turned out with my real parents.

"I don't have to justify my actions to you. I don't want to see them anymore, and that's final." I realized how much I was sounding like a spoiled child unable to get what she wanted.

Will put out a hand to touch my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. I shook off his hand with force, my anger boiling. I forgot momentarily all the kindness they had towards me since I had arrived here. I could only see this intrusion in my private life. This unwanted affection scared me. I backed up to the door and went in the darkened next room as if I could disappear and rip myself from their sorry looks. The only thing I wanted was to be back in my cabin, alone with Enodia. Then, stepping back, I felt myself carried out of my own body, out of the room, at an incredible speed.

I found myself slammed against my bed. Delilah was also in the room with Killian and James. They jumped to their feet after seeing me appear out of thin air. Delilah had cried a lot, her eyes were puffy but still determined. How could she stay so beautiful even in moments of great despair?

"What the hell, Adelaide?" James exclaimed. "You can't barge into a room like that!"

Delilah and Killian looked at each other and this made me understand that, unlike James, they saw me simply appear into the cabin. I looked around and realized that Delilah was packing hastily. Killian and James had already shouldered their bags.

"What is happening?" I asked.

"Well... We're leaving..." Delilah sounded uncomfortable to say this to me. And I understood that she was counting on me.

"I'm coming!" I simply said. The others had nothing left to say. Delilah still had an apologetic look, as if she was remorseful to not have talked to me about the plan before. She had now finished putting her few clothes in her bag, which she flung on her shoulder.

"So how are we going to leave?" Killian asked, sounding anxious.

"I think that I have an idea," I replied.

I had just appeared and disappeared, and even if I felt slightly tired, I felt like I could do it again.

"Close the blinds, Delilah, I need darkness."

She did. I asked the others to hold hands. When I took Delilah's, it's warmth and softness against my own cold hand surprised me. I took a deep breath and concentrated on my deep desire to leave this place. We were all carried away by darkness.

~Piper~

It was difficult to describe the rollercoaster of emotions that both Rachel and I went on. When I was brought to the cell, I was scared. I didn't know where I was and I could see no way of escaping. I had been handed over by the captain to a boy with electric blue hair. The exchange was made in a cave on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. The island was deserted, except for a few low bushes. It looked like it could have been a great pirate lair in the 19th century. The blue-haired boy took one of my tied wrists and pushed me forward as the captain exited the cave. I could see around me all sorts of jewelry, expensive fabrics and ancient coins coming out of open chests. My theory about the pirate lair was starting to make more and more sense.

I was pushed through a door and the air changed. It was no longer the fresh early-morning breeze of the sea, but a damp and cold air smelling like mould. I walked for a long time, turning in narrow corridors cut in stone. Then I entered a cell and was left there, without any explanation. After a few minutes that seemed to me to be hours, I heard footsteps in the corridor.

It was the guy with electric blue hair. He was pushing someone in front of him. It was a woman. She had curly red hair. I knew her. It was Rachel! Lost for words, I jumped to my feet. My heart was beating hard. Not only did I find Rachel, but I was a prisoner with a friend. There was hope after all!

The guard took off Rachel's blindfold. She screamed when she saw me. But not a scream meaning Oh my gods I'm so happy to see you, it's been so long! but a scream of terror, of agony and despair. Then it hit me. We were in a dire situation and there was no reason to rejoice. Rachel ran into my arms. I held her as she squeezed me, hard.

"It is great to see you, but also so, so bad that you're here!" Rachel exclaimed. Her voice caught, but when she pulled away from the hug her eyes were dry and fierce. "We have catching up to do."

"That will have to wait," said the guard. "Hi, I'm Julian, and I will be your key to freedom for tonight."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I mean that I'm helping you escape," Julian said calmly. "I'm undercover. I helped all the other demigods that came here to escape to a safe place. Don't you find it suspicious that you are the only prisoners?"

"Don't your boss find it suspicious that all the prisoners go missing after a few days?" I replied. "And in my case in the first hour spent here?"

"Well, first of all, my boss doesn't care about the prisoners. If they don't join him, he lets them starve, so they die anyway. Second of all, we do torture people here, some don't even get through that. And third of all, for those who escape, I pretend they all died and the boss doesn't even bother to check. So that's fine." Julian addressed me. "And for you, lady, I can make up a story, like you were in bad shape when you arrived and you died of your injuries. It happened before."

"How could you say that so calmly?" Rachel asked, horrified.

Julian raised his shoulders. "When it's your job you get used to anything. All right let's go."

Julian stepped out of the way to let us come out of the cell. He was serious. Instantly, I thought that this was a trap. He saw that Rachel and I knew each other, therefore he wanted to separate us. But I was wrong. We walked for a little bit in the stone corridors of the jail. Julian led us to an oak door standing against a stone wall.

"We are standing in the remains of the Labyrinth," Julian explained. "It was destroyed years ago, but we could same some parts and use them again. This door is one of the last entries. We modified it so you can use it to travel to the place of your choice. Choose well, because you won't be able to come back afterwards. It is one-way only."

I looked at Rachel.

"We have to get back to the others. They are worried sick."

"No," replied Rachel. "We don't even know where they are. We could end up somewhere and never be able to find them again. We have to go somewhere safe. Somewhere we can be useful."

"But where?"

"Camp Half-Blood. Let's go home. We'll find a way to communicate with the others when we're there."

Rachel touched my wrist. There was energy coursing through her veins. She still had her oracle powers, but she didn't want to say it out loud. I shook my head, meaning I understood.

"Alright. Let's go home."

Rachel glanced at Julian. Something incomprehensible was happening between them. She took my hand and opened the door. To the count of three, we went through the door. I felt as if I was being ripped inside out. I thought that I had walked into a trap. The air was knocked out of my lungs and I lost the ability to see. I landed on my back, hard. Even before I could see again, I smelled the strawberries.

We were at home.


	32. Je reviendrai à Montréal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if we posted this chapter later than usual. We still love you though! Enjoy!
> 
> -E&C
> 
> P.S. The title of this chapter is actually the title of a song...

~Hazel~

The kids disappeared. The kids disappeared. The kids disappeared.

This sentence was playing on repeat in my mind, yet I couldn't grasp all of its meaning. I was simply awed by the bad luck that we had faced in the last day. But the kids' disappearance was definitely not a good omen.

Will and Frank had alerted us as soon as Adelaide went missing. When we found them, they were frantically looking in all the cabins. Frank has simply looked at me with his mouth open as if to show his incomprehension and embarrassment. Quickly, everyone joined the search and looked everywhere, even in cupboards, we couldn't be too thorough. Still, the kids had vanished without a trace.

This forced us to call an emergency meeting around the long table. Therefore we got together in the common room, as always with eyebrows knitted together and ready to establish a battle plan. However, this time, there was no impending attack. All my demigod instincts were screaming that this calm was not reassuring.

Firstly, Will told us what had happened: the news flash, Adelaide's panic, and her disappearance. 

Nico interrupted him. "Shit, she could be able to Shadow Travel? I hope it didn't bring them too far? They could be in Australia, as far as I'm concerned!" He seemed equally impressed, troubled and worried. Behind him, Jason was biting his nails and Percy was tapping on his shoulder in a comforting manner. Beside me, Frank was holding my hand. It was all I needed to know that he was supporting me.

"I can't believe that they all left," I murmured.

"Yeah, I don't know about that." Annabeth had clearly heard my intervention. "Adelaide really looked scared, according to Will's story. And she seemed to be in her no one can understand me phase."

Nico objected. "Okay, it's not easy to be a child of Hades or Hecate, but I can understand this phase." Then he added, under his breath: " I kinda went through it..."

"Anyway, as I was saying, I can understand that Adelaide left. Killian and James, too. Lewis must have been like an older brother to them. They are trying to leave the place where they lived trauma and they follow leaders. Delilah looks like the best choice."

"Okay, but why would Delilah leave?" Frank asked. Annabeth continued.

"Ask Percy I-Don't-Know-How-To-Deal-With-Teenage-Girls Jackson." All the heads turned to Percy. He was displaying his most sorry look.

"Thanks, Annabeth for throwing me under the bus. Let's just say that I might've hurt her feelings."

Leo burst out laughing despite the serious situation.

"Thank the gods your daughter is only three years old! What are you going to do when she'll be 15?"

Confronted with the clear awkwardness of the situation, I tried to change subjects.

"Well, anyway, what is done is done. We need a plan for our next move. How do we find them?" My question only furthered our descent into awkwardness.

"Hazel, we have no idea of where they might be. And without the help of the gods or a prophecy, we are totally blind. When could we start?" Nico reasoned.

"Nico is right," furthered Annabeth with an upset look on her face. "I don't see how we could find them. I imagine that we could try patrolling Lesbos, hoping that they didn't go too far. Otherwise, I don't know..."

I had to admit that the situation was particularly dire. We were left with the only option to wait and hope that the kids could manage without us. After all, we could get out of trouble without the help of adults when we were their age... I however thought of all the demigods that didn't reach adulthood. We now had to pray for their disappearance to be a message from the gods to tell us that they needed to live a quest of their own.

~Rachel~

It worked! I couldn't believe it, we made it to Camp Half-Blood. When I could get back on my feet, I was nearly knocked down again. The whole camp looked ready for war. Everywhere I looked, I could see demigods of all ages running around. There were kids, teens, and I ever recognized former campers that had come back to help. I stopped a girl passing by.

"Hey, tell me what's going on?"

The girl's eyes opened wide. She recognized me. "The Oracle is back! We are under attack. we are sealing up camp." She ran to her position.

I saw Piper getting up, rubbing her own back. She stared at me in disbelief. Clearly she had heard what the girl had just said. Without a word, we both ran to the Big House. Inside, Thalia and Chiron were looking at a map of Camp Half-Blood along with the counsellors. They were dispatching the different cabins at the key defence points. I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Artemis almighty," Thalia swore. "You are back." She went around the table to hug me and Piper. "We are in trouble."

"I know, we figured," I replied. "Can I do something to help?"

"Well, we could use some godly guidance, but I know that's not going to happen," suggested Thalia.

As if on cue, I felt like I was leaving my body. I grew cold and my eyes rolled back. Words spilled out of my mouth along with green smoke. I was not controlling myself anymore.

"As the oracle speaks her last address

You will side again with those who oppress

But the triumph of the inevitable you will not forfend

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."

I came back to my senses and stumbled back. Piper was there to catch me. The counsellors got to their feet and brought a chair for me to sit on. Chiron started to pace nervously around the table.

"This last line... I heard it before... It's from Percy's first quest."

"I don't like this. You will side again with those who oppress. What does this mean?" Thalia asked.

"And you're not talking about the fact that the last two lines tell us that we will fail. On so many levels," Piper added nervously.

"It was my last prophecy..." Rachel mumbled. "Either this means I lost my powers, either it means that I'm going to die soon."

"Child, don't say that," Chiron chimed in. "You need to rest."

Thalia took the initiative to lead me to the old room that I lived in when I stayed at camp all the time. The room looked as if it was still cleaned every week even if I hadn't slept here in a while. I lied down on the bed and entered a sleepless dream.

When I woke up, I still felt drained from my energy. Piper was seated at the end of my bed, reading. When she noticed that I was awake, she smiled at me and pushed a bowl into my hands.

"I made soup for you," she said. "I don't know if it's any good, it's an old packet of instant alphabet soup that a son of Demeter gave me. Who knew Demeter was also the goddess of soup?"

"Stop trying to make me laugh in such a dramatic situation," I exclaimed teasingly.

I started eating. The soup tasted like it had been forgotten in a pantry for millennia, but the hot liquid made me feel better. The pasta was dry and chewy at the same time. Weird. I was not putting the blame on Piper's lack of culinary skills. The soup packet had clearly been sold when Rome was still a little square inhabited by two brothers.

I looked down at my bowl. Something was wrong.

"If it's not good, don't eat it, I won't be offended," Piper laughed. "I don't want you to get food poisoning."

"Is this an alphabet soup or a number soup?" I asked.

"What do you mean? I didn't know a number soup existed."

I showed Piper my bowl. At the surface of the liquid, ten digits were floating. It was not a coincidence since the numbers were all clearly facing me. They were even grouped together. 206 955 9168

"It's a phone number," I said, convinced that I was right.

"But... why?" Piper seemed to be in a deep state of incomprehension.

"I don't know... But I feel like we have to call it."

~Killian~

The trip cut my breathing. The cabin had disappeared in the shadows and I felt like I was pulled into the unknown. We were thrown into bushes and I rolled to the round, unsteady on my feet. Quickly, I got up and studied my surroundings. We were in a sparse forest. I helped James to his feet. He seemed ready to vomit on my shoes.

"James, are you alright?"

"What was that"

Dizzy, he leaned into a tree to try and stay up. I knew that he had difficulty understanding the existence of gods. For a demigod, it was a bit easier to accept since it allowed us to understand so many extraordinary things that had happened since our childhoods. But for a mortal that wasn't even able to see through the Mist? This must be inconceivable. I wondered how he saw our teleportation. James tried to utter a few words.

"Okay, did we just disappear? And reappear? Are we in Harry Potter or some shit? I don't get it..."

"James, you'll have to get used to it, you're travelling with three demigods."

Adelaide was acting as if nothing was a big deal. I took James's side here.

"Anyway, I agree with James: what was that? Can all demigods do that?"

"I have no idea," Adelaide replied. "But I'm super tired and I think that I have to sleep."

She lied down directly on the ground and fell asleep right away. Delilah stared at her in disbelief.

"We can't stay here! We don't even know where we are, some monsters could easily find us!"

She was right. Three demigods alone in the wilderness could only mean bad luck. However, we were unable to wake Adelaide up, so we decided that it was better to let her sleep. James sat back down, visibly still upset.

Delilah and I decided to search our surroundings to try to figure out where we were. We just had to keep James and Adelaide in sight, since we didn't know what could decide to attack them.

By looking around, we understood that we were on a small mountain. Waste was littering the forest floor, which could only mean that we were very near to a city. We soon enough reached a road that seemed to reach the top of the mountain. On the other side of the road, a city spread at the foot of the mountain. A few skyscrapers reached for the clouds. The arms of the city were cut by a wide river. In the distance, we could see fields and a solitary mountain.

"Wait... we're in a city now?" I exclaimed. I had never visited a city like this one.

Delilah was biting on her lip. "Hum, we could ask someone."

Around us, I could see cyclists who stopped to take a break, pairs of tourists taking in the view and a few young people who had nothing better to do but to hang out in the parc on the mountain on a hot summer day.

Delilah approached two girls who looked in their twenties. They looked not too intimidating. Delilah spoke in her best English. Despite her French accent, she was easy to understand.

"Hi, could you tell us where we are?"

The two girls turned around, trying to seize her and to understand where she was coming from. One of them had long, curly brown hair and seemed to understand quicker than the other what was going on.

"Yes, we are on the Camilien-Houde street, on the Mount Royal."

She spoke good English, but I noticed an accent that I couldn't identify. The second young girl, with short hair and round glasses, barely smiled before exclaiming: "Attends, mais tu parles français?"

Delilah was surprised by this sudden switch in the language of the conversation, but her face lit up.

"Yes! So we must be in France or in Switzerland or maybe in Belgium!" In her voice, I could hear that she was hoping to be in a known country.

"Hahaha! Where did you get this idea? We are in Montréal, on the other side of the Atlantic." It was the girl with glasses who spoke. Her expression went from joyful to suspicious. "You should know on which continent you're on, right?"

I saw Delilah's expression changing. She was clearly trying to come up with a lie. "Yes, of course. Actually, no, we are in an international competition where we are sent in different countries without knowing where we are going and we have to reach New York!"

Delilah looked satisfied with the lie she just came up with. The two girls exchanged doubtful glances. Were they going to buy Delilah's story? She continued: "So, New York! Is it far from here?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"Yeah, well, approximately 6 to 7 hours south. You'll have to cross the border..." The girl with the curly hair looked at us from head to toe and displayed a sorry look, she had noticed that we were in bad shape. "You look like you came straight out of the forest. If you want to go directly to New York, we can bring you to the bus station and buy your tickets. Or if Jeanne agrees, we can take you back to the apartment for the rest of the day and we'll take care of this tomorrow."

The other girl, who had to be Jeanne, nodded.

Delilah looked at me, uncertain as of what to answer. "I don't know, we have two other friends waiting for us, we can't be four barging into your house."

"Don't worry, we have a big apartment. You can sleep in the living room," Jeanne replied. "We like camping, we have a lot of mattresses and sleeping bags. You can go fetch your friends, we will be waiting for you here. Prepare yourselves, we'll have to walk a lot."

Delilah and I looked at each other in agreement. It was our best option.


	33. The Number Soup

**~Leo~**

To be very honest, the morale had never been this low. Even I, Leo, master of wit and good times, was feeling a bit down. I found it more difficult to crack jokes about anything and everything. I still tried to lighten the mood by lighting spontaneously on fire during meals and by making machines that ran around the ship telling jokes. After a few attempts, I realized that it was only making my friends more nervous, so I turned off the devices and also I stopped talking as much as usual. It was rough.

The sea was calm. Even if we didn't know where we were going, we had decided to hang out around the Greek islands a little bit. I had time on my hands to perfect a few machines I had been working on. There was one device that was supposed to pick crumbs off the table. It was like a small broom, about the size of a hand, but it threw flames to calcinate the crumbs and other messes left behind after a meal. Cleaning, but with a deadly twist! It really compelled you to try to eat properly. The cleaning harpies back at Camp Half-Blood clearly left a lasting impression on me.

I had left early a particularly tense dinner back in the common room. Everyone was eating in a heavy silence and I really couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to finish my spanakopita in my workshop. I was lost in thoughts when I heard something ringing. It sounded like a phone... I looked around to locate the source of the sound. It _was_ a phone. And I had placed it there myself!

When I had bought the ship, back in Mexico, I had to work a bit of Hephaestus magic on it to make it able to hold more than a dozen people. However, I had worked with the template of a normal, mortal yacht. On this model, there was a phone, supposed to be a way to communicate with the Coast Guards and the different ports. The phone's own number, for some random reason, was a number with Seattle's area code. _206 955 9168_

The unstopping ringing of the phone forced me to make a decision. Would I answer? Yes, it was stronger than me. Maybe the person calling was more receptive to my hilarious jokes.

"Leo's super awesome hot repair shop. Leo's speaking. How may I help you today?"

"Oh my gods Leo Valdez what are you doing on the phone?" screamed a woman at the other end of the line. It was Rachel.

"Rachel Elizabeth HOW DARE YOU? How did you get this number? Where are you?"

"I found your number in my soup. I'm at Camp Half-Blood. Listen it's a long story, but I'm okay. Piper is here with me, too, and she's alive and well."

I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't able to understand what was happening to me right now, but I decided to ask first, understand later."

"What do you mean you're at camp? How did you get there?"

"Stop asking questions and get over here _now_. There's an attack coming. Oh, and also we have a prophecy."

"THE DAM GODS! AFTER ALL THOSE DAYS SITTING ON A BIG PILE OF SCHIST! Ok, I'm sorry you said something about a prophecy?"

I was so confused, I couldn't even start to process what was happening. Rachel told me the prophecy and it sent shivers down my spine. I didn't sound good.

"Please, Leo," Rachel pleaded. "Hurry up. It's really bad out here."

"I promise. We're setting sail right now, we're coming as fast as we can."

We hung up. There was so much she didn't know. But she was right. The priority was to get to Camp Half-Blood the faster that we could. We would have time to catch up later if we were still alive.

I heard a knock on the door of my workshop. Calypso entered the room. She must have heard my screaming.

"Leo, what _is_ going on?"

"We have to get to Camp Half-Blood, quickly. Here, help me, we have to fire up the engines. And by fire up, I mean it literally. We need to go full speed. Rachel and Piper need us."

**~Reyna~**

I rubbed my temples, seated between Aurum and Argentum. The last couple of days had been particularly busy. Problems would not stop coming one after the other and had given me an unbearable migraine. I took a deep breath and let centurions into my tent.

Ten centurions entered my tent, followed by my partner. A new preator took over the post when Frank had decided to leave the legion to work and live his life with Hazel. Frank had left his post while still keeping his title of preator four years ago. He managed to finish his university studies at the same time as keeping his duties at camp. Frank and I had tried to hold on to the position as long as we could to keep younger people out of this impossibly difficult job.

With Frank leaving, I had once again lost an excellent second in command. He had been replaced by Nasima. I was now learning to work with her. She had had an eclectic journey at camp since she entered it under the name of Nasim. She had had to fight for her basic rights to change gender and to survive as a demigod. She was particularly fierce in battle and had quickly risen in rank. All the campers admired her for her courage.

Nasima placed herself at my side, we were ready to listen to the centurions of the five cohorts. Various defence plans were presented to us. New protection had been placed around camp. We had received new war machines from Camp Half-Blood. Our cohorts were ready to attack and protect at any cost. I let Nasima give her orders, the plans seemed ready to execute. The centurions finally left, leaving Nasima and me alone.

"Thank you, Nasima. You're really doing a great job. I have a terrible migraine, I'd like to have a bit of time to myself. I trust you for the rest."

Without adding a word, she exited the tent with the others, understanding.

We didn't know where the attack was going to be coming. We only received a few information from Camp Half-Blood. Rachel was back and we had a new prophecy. We had waited twelve years for a new one. _And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end_. This last line had worried us all. I could not keep myself from sneering internally. She had said this line a few years back. We had all thought that she was simply repeating Percy's prophecy and we had disregarded this information. What if she had already read this prophecy announcing the end of an era?

Meanwhile, we had to wait for the attack by staying awake and alert at all times, day or night, wishing for our forces to be able to push back the enemy.

**~Delilah~**

We went back to take James and Adelaide with us. The girl was difficult to wake up, but after many grunts, she got up on her feet. We explained the situation to them. James seemed relieved. Adelaide had the opposite reaction.

"Are you crazy? This sounds exactly like what a monster would say to lure us and kill us! I'm not following you, no way."

"Adelaide, please! I'm sure that these girls are nice! I mean we barely arrived. Monsters could not find us this quickly, right?"

"You always have your mother to protect you and it shows," she mumbled hurtfully through her teeth. I dodged the insult.

"Look, we don't have a choice, we're no longer in Europe. How are we going to survive here, I'm the only one speaking French and I have only 10 euros left in my bag. We could find a way to follow them, but with a way to escape if all goes bad?"

James and Killian seemed desperate to accept the two girls' offer. Looking at them, I realized how young they looked. Adelaide thought about it for a few seconds.

"Okay, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's going to work."

"Can we trust another of your ideas?" Killian asked. Adelaide threw him a mean look. I already felt that we would have difficulty keeping harmony in our group.

"You want to hear my idea or not?" Adelaide threatened. We nodded half-heartedly. "Okay, I saw Hazel using a technique to manipulate the Mist when we were on the ship. I have the feeling that I could to that too since my mom's Hecate. We're going to start by pretending that we are older, so we won't look like lost children. Then, if things go bad, we can use the Mist to disappear."

I was doubtful. "But they already saw us as kids," I objected.

"I could help with that. I already managed to modify people's memory," Killian added. "I could do that for them."

I noticed that everyone was looking at me as if waiting for my response. As if I was the one who had to decide on the plan. I nodded. "Very well."

Adelaide closed her eyes to concentrate and waved her hands. I felt the air around me twirling and I could see Killian, James and Adelaide changing before my eyes. I was now facing two young men in their twenties and a young woman. Despite Killian's thin beard, I could still see his young age in his eyes. If I really made an effort, I could see through the Mist and see Adelaide like she always had been: a young girl thin and flexible with dark hair falling in her dark-circled eyes. Our disguises could surely fool the mortal girls.

We exited the forest, Enodia following us, doubtful. She was smelling the air around her, trying to detect any source of danger. Even though Adelaide made me uneasy, Enodia made me feel safe. We reached the girls. They looked troubled by our appearances, but Killian stepped forward, looked at them intensely and all their worries vanished from their faces. They then lead us joyfully to their apartment. We knew that the first one's name was Jeanne. The second one, the one with curly hair, introduced herself as Elena. Killian lighted up.

" _È un nome italiano?_ " he asked.

" _Si! Come state, tutti quanti?_ " Elena replied in Italian, letting out a clear laugh.

We walked the remaining distance without a problem. If the two girls were monsters, they were taking a lot of time to show it. The tension in my shoulders was subsiding. The two girls were in a good mood, Jeanne was talking loud and Elena was laughing. They were speaking weird French, mixing in a lot of English words. Small houses with exterior spiral staircases we lined up on both sides of the street until we reached our destination. We went up to the second floor. The balcony was filled with all sorts of pots containing various plants. I suddenly felt more at ease. The smell of rosemary reminded me of the small house where I usually spent my summers.

We entered and my nose was instantly filled with the smell of soup. The apartment was relatively big. There were five rooms, a kitchen, a large living room and a small bathroom. Plants were hanging from the ceiling. The bookcase in the living room was what impressed me the most. Everything was cozy and welcoming and I let go of the doubts I had in the first place.

Jeanne and Elena presented us to their housemates. Three other girls were seated at the kitchen table. One was wearing overalls and had her brown hair in a bun, another one was wearing a hoodie a size too big for her and the last one had short curly hair of a colour between light brown and dark blond. I forgot instantly their names, but I only had to remember their formidable energy. They were in deep conversation about a book they all had read the previous week.

The rest of the night went on without problems. We enjoyed the soup that was simmering on the stove. We listened to the girls' joyful discussions. I already had the impression to know them and to be spending a night with friends. It had never happened to me. Entering this house had shown me what was a normal life.

The girl with short curly hair seemed to notice Killian, apparently not enjoying the meal as much as I was. His saddened expression had not changed since Lewis's departure.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You don't have to eat if you don't want to."

Killian gave a feeble smile. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry. It's only that I lost someone recently, and it's difficult, you see?" All the girls looked at him sympathetically.

Jeanne spoke. "I can understand what you're going through, you know. It's difficult to accept, but even though it's a long process, I can assure you that you'll get through it."

Killian seemed uncertain. "Let's pretend that we were living in a world where we could make dead people come back to us."

"Like Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology?" the girl in the overalls interrupted. The girls exchanged a smile. I didn't understand what was going on, but Killian was already moving on.

"Yeah, a bit like that. In a world like this one, how could you accept death if you knew that there was a possibility for it to be reversible?"

I thought that Killian was giving up a bit too much information, but Jeanne was already replying to him.

"I think that this mindset is dangerous since it would keep you from moving on. For all your life you would try to find a way to bring someone back, and this would be even more painful."

Killian seemed satisfied with the reply and thanked Jeanne.

The rest of the night was more normal. We settled in the living room to sleep. Enodia lied at Adelaide's feet. The five girls continued to talk and laugh in the kitchen. I could not keep myself from wondering what my life would be like if I wasn't a demigod. These girls we unknowingly teasing me with a life I didn't know I wanted.

I could vaguely hear the music they were listening to through the wall. A song from a group that I had already hear on the radio. The lyrics resounded in my head while my eyes were closing.

_Well I never thought that you'd come tonight_

_When the crown hangs heavy on either side_

I had no idea as to where we were going to go next. Tiredness was winning me over.

_Give me one last kiss while we're far too young to die_

Hugo, the explosion, Lewis, the blood. The scene was playing again and again in my head.

_Far too young to die_

_Fat too young to die_

Then, I fell into a dreamless sleep. 


	34. Istanbul

**~Annabeth~**

The ship was sailing at full speed towards Istanbul. I could feel the floor shake under my feet and the floorboards cracking. I wondered if the ship would still be in one piece once arrived at the destination. Percy and Jason were using their powers to push the boat faster. Hazel was manipulating the Mist to allow us to go unnoticed. If the Coast Guard saw us going this fast, they would go after us and we definitely did not have the time to fight off Coast guards again. As for me, I was biting my nails, anxious. If the gods had used their last bits of power to give Leo's phone number to Rachel, something bad was bound to happen.

We had decided to take a plane. The gods seemed to have very little power left and we hoped that Zeus would be too busy keeping his forces to think about zapping Percy out of the sky. This was our best option. We had only a few hours left and we could not go by boat. And Nico could not transport 6 adults with him without risking to end up in Australia.

I was looking at the scenery moving fast before me as we crossed the Dardanelles strait. On both sides, I could see fields rolling out and little country houses. Soft green hills highlighted the view. Leo was controlling the ship with skill, dodging other boats on the strait. I went closer to him. He looked in his element, hair in the wind, singing softly a song.

_Every gal in Constantinople_

_Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople_

_So if you've a date in Constantinople_

_She'll be waiting in Istanbul_

I threw him a desperate look, but I had to admit that he had made me smile. Suddenly, the landscape changed when we reached the Sea of Marmara. I could see small islands in the distance. Then, I decided to go below deck to pack my bag. We had to move quickly upon our arrival in Istanbul.

I packed the few clothes I had thrown in randomly in my bag a few weeks back. I tried to place the best I could all the items. Two shirts, one of them with a hole in it from our last battle, a few spare socks, two toothbrushes, my laptop and two water bottles. I placed on top my wallet containing a few Euros, drachmas, my credit card, and two ambrosia squares. Taking the bags back on deck, I saw Will doing the same thing. I could see that he was worried. I squeezed his hand in mine, trying to give him a bit of hope through this brief contact.

On deck, I could see Istanbul as a small, hazy silhouette. Calypso was also working hard, trying to contain the waves. We were approaching the city rapidly. Percy and Jason stopped progressively to push the boat with wind and current. We only had to find a place to dock.

We entered the Bosphorus strait. To our left, we could see the Topkapı Palace, built in 1465, a mix of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture. We passed the Maiden's Tower, guarding the entrance of the strait. Father, higher in the city, I could see the Camlica mosque. So many architectural masterpieces. I bit my lip. I realized how much far from home I was and how much was left to discover if only we had the time to visit.

The boat docked near a little public square. Tourists were enjoying the afternoon sun and the magnificent view. But we didn't have the time to do the same, so we barely noticed the sun on our skin and the marine smell. We each took our small backpack and rushed to the streets at random. Quickly, I spotted two taxis waiting, parked at the side of a street. Percy, Will, Nico, Jason and I sat in the first one as Leo, Calypso, Frank and Hazel sat in the second one.

"The airport, please."

The driver seemed to understand and I was relieved. I had no idea if Turkish people spoke English. Apparently, yes.

The taxi zigzagged in the small streets of Istanbul where were architecture passed from modern to medieval, displaying the richness of the city's history. After a half-hour ride, spent in total silence, we finally arrived at the airport. I was blown away by the control tower stretching towards the sky. I remembered what I had read about architecture. The airport had been finished 3 years prior and was the world's largest. Andrew Thomas, the architect responsible for this masterpiece, was inspired by XVIth century mosques. Despite my desire to spend hours enjoying the view, I kept myself from commenting, aware of the urgency of the situation. We scrambled into the airport, looking for any way possible to reach New York. Leo was still singing.

_Even old New York was once New Amsterdam_

_Why they changed it I can't say_

_People liked it better that way_

The fastest flight lasted 11 hours. We had to spend our last pennies in order to buy the tickets. But was money if we couldn't see our homes again? Percy was holding my hand, his fingers intertwined with mine. I knew that taking the plane was particularly difficult for him.

Jason was leading us through the labyrinth that was the airport, moved by a force that, I knew, was the desire to see Piper again alive and well. In our unstoppable run to reach the doors on time, I could see the passengers moving aside from our path as if pushed by an invisible wind. After going through security, we stepped into a huge space filled with duty-free stores. I had an idea that could allow us to stay in contact with the camp. I bought a phone and an international plan. I didn't care anymore that this could attract monsters, they looked shy lately, anyway. Quickly, I dialled the only number I knew by heart in my short life in which phones had been mostly absent: the number of the old phone in the Big House. It went straight to voicemail and I could hear Chiron's voice.

"Hi, welcome to Delphi Strawberry Service. We are unable to take your call for the moment. Please leave a message."

I gave the phone number to reach us and I hung up. Percy noticed my anxious look.

"Annabeth, you know how the campers are busy right now. I'm sure that they're going to call back." I hope he was telling the truth.

A few hours later, we were finally on the plane. Everyone was comfortably seated and was looking for something to do to pass the time. Nico had fallen asleep in Will's shoulder. Leo and Calypso were playing a game in which we took bits and pieces out of his belt (which had mysteriously not been searched at security) and they had to build a mechanism as quickly as possible. Jason was looking out the window with a distant gaze. Percy was watching yet another episode of Avatar the Last Airbender.

"Percy, you know that's a kids' show, right?"

"Shhhhh, this show is genius. Look at what Katara can do! I wonder if I could also use the water on plants."

I took in a deep breath. This show was making me uneasy, especially when one of the characters was using their powers to control the body of their enemies. I remembered when Percy had almost choked a goddess in her own aura of misery and I shivered. I was hoping he would not try this again, that Percy scared me.

**~Thalia~**

Everyone was shocked by the news of a prophecy. From what we could understand, this would be the last one ever. We knew that we were in a dire situation, but the fact that no more quest in the future would be lead by a prophecy was catastrophic. The whole content of what Rachel had said was also bad on morale. This prophecy had been received like a death sentence. Everyone at camp was on edge, tense, ready to explode.

As if the situation was not bad enough, with all the infighting that I had to sort out, the tensions were stronger than ever. There were more and more instances of people being aggressive or rude to other campers. At the same time, I could understand anyone with a short fuse. I was not exactly the calm type myself. Also, being locked up and facing an invisible and unknown enemy had bad repercussions on anyone's mental health.

At least, there had been developments. Rachel had managed to communicate with the _Penelope_. We knew that the crew was coming back. Hopefully, they had more information about what to do next. After talking to Leo, Rachel fell in a deep sleep. She had tried to tell us about what she had witnessed while locked up, but sleep had taken over her. I tried to convince myself that the information she wanted to tell us could wait.

I was going over the battle plan one last time when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," I invited.

Reyna entered the room, followed by Aurum and Argentum. I greeted her, but I had so much on my mind that I think that my expression gave her a bad impression. She stopped in her tracks.

"You don't want me here?" Reyna asked.

"No... Yes! Yes, please stay, we need to talk about our defence plan." Truth be told, I was a bit intimidated by Reyna. She has a strong character and her presence was instantly felt when she walked into a room. She had an aura of strength and leadership and it was impossible not to be in awe when she walked in.

I updated Reyna on the last developments. Rachel and Piper's return, the new prophecy, the call to Leo... We were soon going to get help from veterans of two wars against powerful deities. Somehow I had the feeling that they had seen it all and that nothing could impress them anymore. They could not be surprised, they had already fought every monster. I knew I should not be thinking like that, but I couldn't help it. It was unfair to the others to put all my faith in them. All the other demigods at camp also had a part to play in the success of this battle.

I explained to Reyna the defence plan. We had placed groups of demigods at strategic points. we knew by experience that the main entrance was a weak spot, so most of our defences were there. There were also teams patrolling the perimeter of the camp. Nymphs and dryads were increasing their magic to protect the forest and the bodies of water inside the camp. We knew that it was possible in extreme cases to summon a monster into the property, so we had special teams who were dedicated to monitoring the magical energy.

"If you ever need it, we have backups ready for you," Reyna promised.

"Thank you. We never know. We don't even have an idea of what's going to happen."

_And when they are dead, Thalia, what will you do?_

This sentence was stuck in my head ever since Chiron had asked me the question. Even after several days, I could not find an answer. It was true, the only thing forcing me to move forward was my friends. I didn't know what I'd do once they inevitably died. I had no idea if I was going to be able to care about someone so much in the future.

I was pulled out of my worries when I heard an explosion. I looked briefly at Reyna and we exited the room, running. We heard shouts and saw flashes of fire in the distance. We arrived at the strawberry field, the source of the commotion. A huge portion of it was in flames. Half of the campers on the scene were trying to put out the fire and limit the damage to our sole source of income. The other half was fighting off what looked like _karpoi_ , grain spirits. The small winged creatures were spawning out of the strawberry plants.

Reyna and I sprung into action. The _karpoi_ were not dangerous monsters, only nasty pests. We countered the attack quickly. The only injuries were some superficial cuts to faces and arms made by grain stalks summoned by the winged creatures. We also had two campers suffering from a mild concussion. They had been tricked by a _karpos_ and they banged their heads together. They were teased by other campers all the way to the infirmary. The damages on the strawberry field on itself had been minimized. Already, dryads were tending to the burnt plants.

Even if the attack was brief and rather uneventful, Reyna and I exchanged worried glances.

"This was not the real attack," I said.

"I agree," Reyna added. "This was only a diversion. They wanted to test us. Maybe spy on us, see where our defences are. Could I suggest something?"

I appreciated Reyna's question. I saw that she wanted to take matters in hand, but she didn't want to step in and take over Camp Half-Blood. Still, her feedback was more than welcome. "Please do."

"Maybe a _karpos_ is still at large and collecting pieces of information for our enemy. We should search for any suspicious activity."

"I agree. I'm going to set up a team right now."

I jogged up the hill to the Big House. I had to talk to Chiron.

_And when they are dead, Thalia, what will you do?_


	35. Ananke

Hello dear readers! 

Just a quick message to tell you that from now on every chapter will only have two POVs. We got you used to 3, but we have so many ideas (oh my gods I know) that we tend to write longer chapters. No, really, the thing is that we spend too much time on Wikipedia and we find so many interesting information that we want to write them all so the chapters get longer... 

So yeah, enjoy this fresh new chapter! 

-E&C

__________________________________________________________________________

~Adelaide~

A soft light was coming into the room through the living room’s curtains. I could see fine grains of dust dancing in the morning light. I rose quietly, trying no to was Delilah, Killian and James up. Enodia got up at the same time as me and followed me. She seemed to be ensuring my safety at any moment of the day or the night.

I saw Killian opening gradually his eyes. He rose to a sitting position, hugging his knees, still half-buried in his sleeping bag.

"Hey, Adelaide, good morning," he said.

I answered only with a feeble smile. I could see that I was making him uneasy. Killian was looking for himself since the attack on the Penelope and since Lewis’s death. He was so young, but I had the impression that he had lived far more than I could imagine.

Then, as if he could read my mind: "Lewis was like an older brother for me. But I know that he wasn’t ready to live in the same world as us. He was ready to flee, that day." He lifted his gaze to me and half-smiled.

I wondered if he could really read my mind. The was he had modified our hostesses’ memories had impressed me, even if I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t answer him, so he continued.

"You are very talented, Adelaide. We wouldn’t be here without you. And I know that we don’t have a clue as of where we are going, but a demigod’s life is dangerous. I’d like to know that I’m fighting alongside a friend."

He let the silence grow in the room until I understood what he was asking of me. I looked at him, his big brown eyes towards me and his hir, of the same colour in a mess. He still had a childish face, one could easily give him two or three years less than he really was. Then, I turned to Delilah, who was still sleeping peacefully, her blond hair hiding half of her face.

"She’s doing the best she can, you know. I think that you should give her a chance, too."

I was starting to seriously suspect that he was reading my thoughts. I did not hate Delilah, only… she was at the same time everything I wanted to and everything I always hated in people. Tall, blonde, confident. The perfect popular girl. A part of my brain reminded me that she probably had to live with the same problems I had to face: dyslexia, ADHD… Were always put in the trouble kids box at school.

I noticed that Killian was still staring at me, waiting for an answer. I sighed. "Very well. Let’s be friends. From now on we have each other's back, alright?" He looked satisfied.

"Okay, I have something to tell you, in that case. Something strange happened to me on the boat, but with all the events, I didn’t have the occasion to tell anyone about it. I have a feeling that it’s important.

"Well, tell me."

"I had a dream. Or rather, I had a vision, it wasn’t that clear. It was my father, Hypnos." I think that Killian never mentioned his father before. But everything made more sense now since he could hypnotize people and change their memories. "He told me about the person affecting the gods. A woman, I think. According to my father, she managed to capture all the gods and she plans on destroying them, but she plans to disappear with them."

"Did he tell you her name?" I asked.

" No, he only said that she was the inevitable, and I didn’t understand what he meant."

"Yeah, I don’t know how that’s supposed to help us..."

Delilah opened her eyes, soon followed by James. We were all awake and we would have to leave soon to go gods knew where. Delilah had talked about New York yesterday, but we didn’t know if this was the place to be for three demigods and a mortal.

I got on my feet. Elena, the young woman with curly hair was already up, standing in the kitchen. I could smell tea infusing slowly. Seeing us up, she started to make us breakfast. Looking at her, I couldn’t believe that she had welcomed total strangers into her home. After so many years of not trusting people, I had forgotten that there were still good people on this planet.

I remembered what Killian had told me a few moments ago and I got an idea. "Can I borrow someone’s cell phone?" Elena gave me hers without asking any questions. I opened Google and typed in the search bar: Greek mythology inevitable goddess. A Wikipedia page opened automatically and in a square, I could read the following line.

Ananke: The goddess of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity.

I clicked on the hyperlink and stumbled on the page for Ananke. Some lines caught my attention.

One of the Greek primordial deities, the births of Ananke and her brother and consort, Chronos were thought to mark the division between the eon of Chaos and the beginning of the cosmos.

Ananke is considered the most powerful dictator of fate and circumstance; mortals as well as gods respected her power and paid her homage.

Killian looked over my shoulder and read at the same time as me. We exchanged glances and I erased the phone history and the page I was looking at before giving Elena’s phone back. Killian and I decided to talk about it later.

As we ate our breakfast, I heard footsteps behind me. It was the girl who had a bun yesterday. She was now wearing her brown hair in a braid. The two girls started talking in a language I didn’t know, probably French, even if I could catch a few English words. Elena started speaking.

"As I told you yesterday, we can bring you to the bus station and buy tickets for you to New York."

"New York! Are you going to see Broadway shows?" asked the girl with the braid.

"Hum… it wasn’t really in our plans," Delilah said with a polite smile. Killian and I glared at her and he addressed Elena.

"I think that if you tell us where to go, we could manage by ourselves." The girl didn’t complain. She started to explain to us the way. Go down this road, take the metro in that direction and stop at the Berri-UQÀM station. From there we only had to follow the indications to the bus station.

We thanked the girls for everything and packed our few belongings, ready to leave. Jeanne bid us a last goodbye as she had just woken up, standing at the front door, still in her pyjamas.

We left the welcoming and cozy apartment and I saw Delilah glancing one last time behind, with a nostalgic look. I could understand Delilah’s feelings. Normal life was so attractive.

On the street, we all stared at each other. We all knew that New York was a lie. We had no intention to complicate our lives even more by crossing a border without papers. Delilah spoke the first.

"Okay guys, what do we do now?"

"I think that we have to contact the demigods on the ship," said Killian. "Adelaide and I have information on the goddess we had to fight."

I disagreed. "No, I think we’d better get as far as we can. What do we owe these people? Let’s try staying alive and don’t mix with what's none of our buisness."

"I think I agree with Killian. If we met these demigods, it’s not for nothing, there’s a reason, and I think that we have a greater role to play than we would believe. To flee will not save us," decided Delilah. I was about to reply when Killian cut me off.

"Delilah is right." He glanced at me, begging. "Adelaide, these people were good to us and made us feel like we belonged somewhere."

He was right. Even if I wanted to hate them, I could not keep myself from remembering the conversation I had with Nico. He made it clear that he was there for me.

"Okay, fine. But how do we contact them? Last time we saw them, they were in Lesbos..."

I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence, because I was cut off by a boy running towards up, screaming:

"Run, hide, they found you!"

I wasn’t sure to understand. Looking at the boy, I saw something was wrong. Did he have goat feet?

In a heartbeat, they were on us.

~Hugo~

I was in battle gear, seated under a tent with other high ranking officers. We were going to lead thousands of men and women into battle. Most were mortals but also had recruited some monsters, who made up a small percentage of our total force. I was in the same room as Ossian, Julian, Captain Moretti and a beautiful winged woman. She was seated on a throne, her hair wrapped around her head. She was taller than anyone present and she radiated an aura of grave authority and sheer power. This was normal since she was a goddess.

"Mistress Ananke," said Ossian, bowing humbly. "Everything is ready for tonight’s attack. As you predicted, everything is falling into place."

Ananke smiled, satisfied. "Of course. I have planned this. I observed our pawns for years. Their loyalty will be the death of them. I knew that kidnapping young demigods would trouble this young Jason Grace and force him to do something. Then I kidnapped the gods, one after the other, and then the different spirits. No more dreams, no more prophecy. I knew that all of Grace’s friends would follow him, which allowed us to get to the camps. They fell blindly in my trap. All that happened on the ship was only bagatelles. I was playing with them. Letting go Rachel and Piper, the last prophecy, all this was child’s play."

"And now they are heading back to Camp Half-Blood," Ossian said. "And we will give the final blow. We will kidnap the Jackson children."

"Exactly," Ananke approved. "And this will be leverage for the final step. I will take the kids to Olympus, with all the other prisoners. There, we will convince the demigods that the age of the gods is over. It was inevitable. Everyone dies, even the gods. They only have a longer lifespan. I will die, too. But this will be for the greater good. This has been written since the creation of this world. All that we see is bound to end."

"Do you think that they will really decide to end the gods?" Captain Moretti asked.

"Insolent child," Ananke barked. "Of course they will. I know it. And you will be sorry to have doubted me. They will see that the gods have wronged them for thousands of years. They will join my plan as you did. They are not smarter than you, young lady. I daresay they are stupid, they are blind. They are unable to see that the reign of the gods, all the gods, is over. The Norse people were wise and reasonable. They predicted the end. They call it Ragnarok."

"The violence, the deaths, the sacrifices, all the horror caused in the name of gods," Ossian chimed in. "They will be reasoned with."

I had been silent, but I now had a question. "And what will happen to the magical creatures? The mythological places?"

"They will age and die, like any human. The places like the Underworld will vanish and empty themselves. Olympus will close. Like anything, really. It will not be the end of the world, though. It will be the end of a world. The beginning of a new era, where humans have their own free will."

I was satisfied. This was really how things had to go. It seemed as if Ananke was committing suicide and taking her whole family with her, but it was, in a way, her job. As the goddess of the inevitable, she had to bring upon the world the end of divinity in a way, shape or form. As she said, the Norse mythology had prepared the end of the gods. A moment where all the worlds would collide. In Christianity, there was the Apocalypse. Shiva would destroy the world to make a better one. In a way, many religions were realistic, as they all prepared their followers to an eventual end. However, the end was only the end of the gods, not the end of mankind. The only thing left to see as if the humans would create other gods, or simply destroy each other once left alone. Now or later didn’t really matter. Mankind will end one day.

"Okay, let’s go over the plan again, shall we," said Ossian. "Everyone, lead your men and women to battle. Remember that most of the campers are equipped with celestial bronze, which cannot harm mortals. It will simply pass through you. They will have to resort to other ways to injure you. Arrows and tempered steel can still hurt you. however, they won’t have rifles. Therefore your armours should be good enough protection, but don’t rely on it too much. They are smart people. They are trained to adapt to any situation."

Ossian turned to me. "I will lead a small team to get to Percy Jackson’s children. Hugo, you come with me. I was informed that Sally Jackson is protecting them. As far as I’m concerned she doesn’t have to survive the attack. We will use all the force needed."

Ossian looked at Ananke. She nodded. The meeting was adjourned. We all exited the tent and headed to our position. Outside, lines and lines of soldiers were waiting. They were from all origins, age, gender, belief and background. They all had been trained to sword fight and archery. And also they knew how to fire a gun, as a last resort.

"Soldiers," shouted Ossian. His eyes were burning more than ever. "Mistress Ananke blessed me with the powers of the captured gods. She has been good to me. She blessed and protected this army. May we be victorious in battle. Don’t let any obstacle stop you. Together, we are marching towards a better world. Think of the future generations, living and thriving on a new Earth, free at last, all equal, without infighting. March!"

Ossian was a great speaker. He had a way with words. I think he could charmspeak, too, because his words woke something in me that I didn’t know was there. I was driven to battle, I felt like I could give my life to the cause. My life seemed worthless in relation to the immensity of the world.

The army cheered and we marched on.


	36. The Camps Under Attack

**~Reyna~**

The attack was sudden. The first explosions came from all sides and the enemy army appeared without a warning. My troops had been placed around Camp Jupiter New Rome and I could see them fighting ferociously. I stayed back near the lake and New Rome while Nasima left with the first and second cohorts to protect the entries crossing the Little Tiber by two bridges.

The fight was raging around me and I was trying to give courage to my troops. Aurum and Argentum were tearing monsters to shreds. Golden dust was piling at my feet. Unfortunately, most of the enemy troops were composed of mortals. Our weapons were useless to take them out, we had to use our imagination.

Some campers around me were using their godly parent's powers. I could see a son of Bacchus choking an enemy using vines, a daughter of Aeolus taking the air out of her adversary out of their lungs and a son of Discordia making our enemies turning against each other. As for me, I was striking right and left, trying to knock out anyone at arms' reach.

I heard someone creeping up behind me. I caught his arm and flipped him over my head before hitting his skull with my heal, just to make sure that he wouldn't get up for a few hours.

It seemed that we would overcome our enemies. It was at this moment that I started to grow doubtful. How come the enemy troops were so scarce? Yes, we were facing a considerable power, but I could keep myself from comparing the army to the ones we had previously fought in the last war. The number of monsters that we had faced couldn't compare. Also, the majority of enemies were mortals and I highly doubt that they could see through the Mist.

I could not push further my reflection because a chimera was now facing me. Its body, half-lion, half-goat and with a serpent's tail danced before my eyes. I dodged the first attack and fell over, groaning. As the creature's fangs approached my throat, I managed to take out my dagger and pierce its mouth. The monster disappeared in a cloud of golden dust.

I got back on my feet painfully. My ankle was hurting but I didn't have the time to tend to it. I was side by side with Dakota, who had put his armour for the sake of the good old times. Since he overcame his Kool-Aid addiction, he was impressing in battles. We greeted each other with a brief smile, too busy parring attacks right and left. I saw him liftin an enemy with only one hand and throwing him several feet farther.

"Good job," I said, half impressed, half-submerged by the enemy forces.

Suddenly, I heard hooves behind me.

"Reyna, Reyna, over here! Something's fishy."

I turned around and faces Don the faun. He managed to cross the enemy lines to get to me. His ability to steal must have been helpful to him in this situation.

"Don, what are you doing here? It's far too dangerous!" I said, pushing an adversary who almost knocked him on the ground. Don seemed terrified and was chewing on an old metal piece.

"Baaaahahahaha, I know, but I found something in the city and I think that you should see it."

I reluctantly accepted to follow him, gesturing to Dakota to take over my job of commanding. As a ormer centurion, he could manage.

I ran after Don who was skipping at a good speed. We left soon enough the battle behind us to get into the city. Everything looked peaceful, we succeeded to keep the enemies at a safe distance.

"Don, what is so important? The battle is far from here and they need me!"

"It was a diversion." I felt my heart drop. It was what I feared. "I found the entrance, or rather the exit of a tunnel. They went underground."

"By Jupiter! How could Terminus let this slide?" I was beside myself.

Don lead me to a hole big enough for an adult to go through. There was no doubt, some enemies found a way to get to the city. But why? I didn't have the time to try to understand, I simply had to hope that they were still close enough for us to catch them before they put their evil plan to execution.

**~Percy~**

Getting out of the plan, we had already started to run when Annabeth's phone started ringing. She answered it, her hands shaking. She didn't say a word, but every second her eyes grew more frightened. She had hung up and had started to run. I was trying to follow her and understand what was said in the call. I was more and more anxious.

"Annabeth, what is it?"

"Grover... he got our message... Camp Jupiter is under attack."

I understood immediately. Our children were in danger. We absolutely had to get to camp. Once at Camp Half-Blood, we could take the passage to Camp Jupiter and get there in a few seconds. But we had to get to camp first. For now, this was all that counted. Find my kids, find my mother and staying with Annabeth. No matter what.

We ran through the airport, trying to find the exit. My friends were following me, but I had no conscience aside from Annabeth's hand in mine, pulling me forward and my legs carrying me faster and faster towards my goal.

We reached the exit and the fresh air of the afternoon. At this exact moment, Annabeth exclaimed: " _Stêthi 'Ô hárma diabolês_."

Instantly, the Gray Sisters' Taxi appeared, and even if I knew perfectly well that bad nausea was waiting for me, I stepped in with Annabeth and Jason right at our heels. I didn't even have a thought for the others, who couldn't get in with us. All that mattered was reaching camp on time to find my children alive and well. Annabeth gave her indications to the three sisters sharing a single eye.

"Camp Half-Blood, and make it quick."

We didn't ask twice. We sped towards our destination.

**~Sally~**

I had been warned that the camp's protections were compromised. I was encouraged to lock up in my house with my kids. All the other demigod parents were doing the same as me: stocking up on essentials. We didn't know how long we would be having to stay hidden, so we didn't want to run low on anything. Some families had difficulties choosing who would stay behind with the kids and who would fight. Some couple fought, others parted ways in harmony as if they had already planned this eventuality. As for me, I was alone with Percy and Annabeth's two kids. Paul and our daughter had stayed in New York.

I had had special permission to enter the demigod camp. I knew I couldn't take my grandkids back to my own house. Even if they were young, they still could attract monsters and I didn't have the training needed to protect them. It was safer at camp, even if the situation looked uncertain. Also, the kids had to go to school and attend special activities normal for a demigod child: pre-archery, track, monster safari and beginner's self-defence. It was my job to pick up the kids after school, prepare their meals and tend to their minor wounds. I had two kids in the past, this was not such a difficult job for me. I also had been a single mom for many years, and I had always managed. The only thing was that I was feeling myself getting older. My reflexes were less sharp and I got tired more quickly running after two young children. Luke and Silena were adorable. Kids often tend to be troublemakers when a member of the family babysit them. My grandkids weren't. Yes, they had bad days, but they always did what I asked usually before a third warning...

Tonight was different. They had heard the explosion in the strawberry field. Luke was trying to look braver, as the older sibling, but I could see in his eyes that he was scared just as much as Silena, who was hugging her toy hydra (with heads growing twice fold in case one of them was ripped by accident or on purpose). I tried my best to make it look like it was not a big deal. To convince the kids to sleep in the basement, I told them that tonight was a special night and we were going camping. I helped Luke and Silena to carry their tiny mattresses to the basement. There, we hung sheets and curtains from the ceiling to build a makeshift tent. We also brought special snacks. I read them as many stories as they wanted.

"Grandma, I miss Mommy and Daddy," cried Silena, who climbed in my arms, pushing the book aside.

"I know sweetheart, I miss them too. But they are coming back soon."

"How would you know?" Luke asked, harshly.

In other circumstances, I would have told him that it was rude to talk to someone like that. But I didn't. Instead, I opened my free arm and he came close to me to cuddle. I rocked them and sang softly to them until they fell asleep.

I was starting to doze off myself when I heard a crashing noise upstairs. It sounded like a window had been broken. I laid Silena and Luke on their beds and went up the stairs as quietly as possible. On my way up, I caught Luke's kid-sized javelin. I had thrown one many years ago, on a few occasions in a P.E. class in high school. I was not very good, but it was pointy and heavy enough for me to defend myself in close combat.

The main floor was dark and quiet. In the living room, the curtains whipped wildly in the wind. This was the sound I had heard. I was right, a window was broken. A trail of dusted glass was showing me that there was someone or something in the house. I could see where it went because it left behind a mess. I tiptoed to the kids' rooms. When I arrived where Silena used to sleep, I saw that her room was trashed. On the bed, a creature was sniffing its surroundings. I was ashamed, but I wasn't exactly good at recognizing monsters. This one was grotesque and winged. It had sharp claws and talons.

The monster was turning it's back to me, so I crept into the room and sneaked up to it. I raised my javelin. As I was ready to strike, the monster turned its head and saw me. I brought down the weapon on its head, knocking it out, but not before letting out a screeching sound.

I turned around and I could see two other winged demons. They both jumped on me at the same time. I managed to poke one in the eye. It screamed in agony and started to turn into golden dust. I ripped the curtains hanging from Silena's window and threw it as the remaining beast. It tried to escape, but only managed to get tangled even more. The last monster was down.

I took a second to catch my breath. I shouldn't have. As I stepped forward to reach the kids, I heard the window behind me breaking. I turned around, but not fast enough. A human head hit me on the temple. My vision grew dark and blurry, I whirled around with the force of the blow and fell face-first on the floor. Before losing consciousness, I heard a conversation.

"Wow... the mortal took out three harpies all by herself. I'm impressed."

"We'll talk about it later. Where are the kids."

***

When I woke up, a white light was coming in from the broken window. I could hear battle cries in the distance. I could smell fires in the wind. It was dusk. I got up painfully. I put a hand to where I was hit. There was dried blood on my head. There were a few drops on the floor. I estimated that I didn't lose so much blood, which was good. Still, my legs were wobbly and I felt dizzy.

Suddenly, everything snapped into place. My brain cleared with a rush of adrenaline. The kids! I ran to the basement, calling out Luke and Silena's names. Downstairs, the curtains and sheets we had hanged from the ceiling were ripped to shreds. The mattresses were flipped over.

Luke and Silena were missing. 


	37. Free Weapons Giveaway

~Nico~

After Percy, Annabeth, and Jason left in the taxi, I was left dumbfounded on the arrivals floor of the airport. I turned to my remaining friends. They looked as clueless as me. At least we were in New York. At least we knew where we were and where we needed to go. This was a first.

"Great! Now, what do we do? Anyone has a thousand dollars for a mortal taxi?" Leo asked sarcastically.

"We could see if there are busses going to Long Island," suggested Hazel, always practical and down to earth.

"Yeah, but the ride's too long," said Will, maybe a bit too down to earth.

"I can fly us over there, but can't take all of you. Two, maybe three, tops," Frank chimed in.

I was quiet. I was thinking. Of course, there was another solution. I could shadow travel, taking my friends with me. Maybe not all of them, but at least those who Frank could not carry. Since my conversation with Will and the battle that followed, I had shadow travelled exactly once. I had travelled alone and only for a short distance. I still hadn't told him. I noticed that all the eyes were on me.

"Are you about to say something Nico? You look like you're about to say something. Please, say something, or it'll be awkward," Leo said.

"I could shadow travel with a few of you," I blurted out. "And Frank could fly the rest of you to camp."

"Absolutely not," Will objected, unsurprisingly. My friends also looked uneasy, but I knew that it was for a different reason. They were scared to shadow travel, I knew it. It was true that it was an unsettling experience. First-time travellers tended to experience strong nausea. And if we were to step right into battle, it was maybe not the right idea. Maybe Will was right after all...

"I will come with you," Hazel suggested. "I haven't shadow travelled for a long time, but maybe I can help you, give you some of my powers."

"Hazel, I don't think--" Will tried to step in.

"Will, you're doing it again."

Will looked at me in disbelief. The last thing I wanted was to start a scene with my boyfriend in the middle of an airport. But the time was running out. At this time, Percy, Annabeth, and Jason were about to arrive at Camp Half-Blood.

"Please, we talked about it. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. And besides, I shadow travelled the other day in the battle against the Coast Guard."

Will was lost for words. I could see in his eyes that he was confused, hurt, but also a bit sorry.

"We'll talk about it later, okay? Right now we need to get to camp and we're running out of time."

I was compelled to take the lead, and I did.

"Right, Frank, take Leo, Calypso, and Will. Hazel and I will shadow travel."

"No, I want to come with you," Will said.

"Are... are you sure?" I asked. Never in a million years would have thought that Will would have wanted to shadow travel when he could avoid it.

"I'm sure. I trust you."

"Okay, so Will will come with Hazel and me. Once we arrive, let's go straight to where they need us. Let's not try to regroup. We head straight into battle. We defend our homes. This is what we trained for."

My friends nodded and we headed outside. We found a discreet place behind an abandoned parking ticket booth in a parking. With the automatization, there was less and less need for humans to do some jobs, like selling tickets. It certainly wasn't like that when I was a little kid... However, there was a silver lining. And abandoned booth gave us both a hideout for Frank to transform into a giant eagle and carry Leo and Calypso towards the sky. It also gave me the necessary shade to allow me to shadow travel.

If a mortal looked up on this fine, clear day, they would have seen a little private jet taking off and not a giant eagle carrying two grown adults in its claws. If a mortal were to park their car in an empty parking lot, right behind an old ticket booth, they would only have seen three adults walking into the shadows vanishing into thin air. They would have assumed that we had gone into the booth.

I held Hazel and Will's hands. I concentrated and felt the shadows engulfing me. I could feel Hazel's energy coursing through our contact. I focused on Camp Half-Blood. I pictured the strawberry fields. I was prepared to smell the fruits' delicious aroma, but instead, I was greeted by the smell of burning.

I opened my eyes and I couldn't believe what I saw. At first, I thought that I had failed. I thought that I had gone to Tartarus. I could still feel Hazel and Will holding my hands. The strawberry field was smoking after a freshly put out fire. I could hear screams of battle, the clanking of metal against metal.

"Nico!"

I turned around, letting go of my sister's and my boyfriend's hand. I was greeted by Nasima, Reyna's right-hand woman.

"Glad to see you. Get to work," she said, pushing a dagger into my hand.

Nasima unsheathed two more daggers and gave them to Hazel and Will. How many weapons did this girl have on her?

"I will want those back," Nasima said, pointing the daggers with the tip of her sword. She rushed back into battle. Without looking at each other,

Hazel, Will and I ran after her to help.

~Killian~

We barely had the time to understand what was going on that we had already started to run. The two girls were faster than James and I (urgh, girls growing up too fast, am I right?) and the boy had courageously shouted, running unexpectedly fast. Behind us, strange noises were coming to our ears. The thing following us was making hooves and metal noises. I risked a glance over my shoulder and what I saw froze me into horror. Three women with a goat leg and a metal leg were following us closely.

Ahead of us, the boy took out a pan flute and started playing. At the same time, our three followers fell down, seemingly having lost the usage of their strange legs. This allowed us to catch up with the rest of the group and even go a bit ahead by hiding in an alley, its entrance obstructed by a few low bushes.

"What was that?" I exclaimed.

"They were Empousai," the stranger replied.

"And who are you?" I continued screaming, completely disoriented.

"Okay, first, calm down, you're not being very polite. Second, I'm Noah, a satyr."

I observed Noah from head to toe while the others caught their breath. Suddenly, I noticed his legs covered with fur.

"Hey, that's goat legs!"

I remembered the Empousai behind me.

"Oooh, you are one of them! Get back!"

Delilah, Adelaide and James got close to me, ready to fight. Noah glared at us with a desperate look.

"Guys, you have the wrong enemy here. I'm a satyr, they are demons straight out of Tartarus, ready to devour you. I'm a guardian sent by Camp Half-Blood to bring back demigods safely. They are sent by Hecate to guard roads and eat travellers. Get the difference?"

"Hey, a bit of respect, Hecate's my mother," Adelaide objected.

"Let's be real, she must be a pain in the as, like every other god."

Adelaide didn't add anything. We had understood quickly that the gods had little chances to be helpful to us in our short lives. Noah continued with way more sass than I suspected from such a little person.

"Well, if you don't mind, the Empousai are going to catch up with us soon, so if you would be so kind to help me keeping everyone alive, that would be great."

I threw him a dark look. How could he be so insufferable?

Quickly, we placed ourselves at the entrance of the alley. We understood that Noah wasn't a menace if we disregarded the potential insults he could throw at us. At that moment, the three Empousai snuck into the little entrance and threw themselves at us. Noah immediately started playing his pipes and the three enemies slowed down as if they were walking in Jell-O. We took advantage of that and we attacked the three women with mismatched legs.

The one the farthest to the left looked at me with determination and I used this prolonged eye-contact to my advantage. I used all my mental force against her. She fell down instantly, asleep. I turned around to see that Delilah had managed to tie up one Empousai tightly with roots. The third one was still fighting Adelaide. The girl was successfully manipulating the Mist to appear always at a different place. Enodia was also participating in the battle. It was also at that moment that she changed into a polar bear. She managed to crush the last Empousai, which let out a piercing scream and disappeared in a cloud of golden dust. Enodia came back to her normal shape: a big dog with black fur. I was surprised by the transformation, but not for long. I was starting to get used to this type of weird stuff.

Noah observed us doubtfully as he stored away his pan flute in his backpack.

"Not bad. But you're going to need celestial bronze weapons to destroy them completely."

He took out of his backpack an asymmetrical sword with a bronze-coloured blade and a very taper and sharp blade of the same colour.

"I only have two. Fight for them."

"I already have Enodia, I can manage," Adelaide replied.

Delilah chose the thicker, asymmetrical sword, so I decided to take the tapered blade. We both agreed to make disappear the last two Empousai using our new swords.

I noticed that James was hiding behind a fence. I gestured him to come close, that we were safe now. He joined us, trembling.

"You know, you guys are scary. I have no idea what happened, but still, scary." A shiver when through him.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

I tried to make him feel better. James could probably never understand what we were living, but still, he had to put up with our excess of panic when we saw monsters, which he didn't see. To him, they all looked like passersby. He had to put up with our unexpected travels around half of the globe.

Delilah knit her eyebrows and spoke to Noah. "Okay, we need some explanations."

"You are demigods... but that you already knew. I have to bring you back to Camp Half-Blood where you'll be safer, apparently. However, you look like you can defend yourself. Also, what's awaiting you at camp is a sweet war! Welcome!"

I could hear that his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Then why would we follow you?" Adelaide asked.

"Oh you, you'd like it there, I think. You are a daughter of Hecate? We could teach you to use your magic. If you learned a bit of Ancient Greek or Latin, you could accomplish even greater things."

"And for us?" I asked.

"New brothers and sisters, I guess?"

"You don't sound very convinced."

"Pfff, I was forced to go find demigods just because Chiron sent all his satyrs to gather up the more possible. All this because Jason and Percy ran away like cowards with the others. I'm tired of doing everyone's dirty job. It's not because I'm half-goat that I'm stupid!"

Hearing Percy's name, Delilah's expression darkened as fast as it had lightened up. She asked another question.

"Wait, wait, go back... Percy?"

"Yes, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace and Piper Mclean and--"

"Okay, we get it," Adelaide interrupted. Noah threw us a suspicious look.

"Do you know them"

"No, no we don't, we just, hum... Maybe we already heard those names," Delilah replied instantly. She turned to us "What do you guys think?"

I had the firm impression that we needed to go with Noah. But I also felt that bad news were waiting for us. I shrugged, signalling that I was once again ready to go into the unknown with an unknown person. Adelaide pouted, but she nodded, giving her consent. James locked his sad eyes with mine.

"I'm going to follow Killian, whatever he thinks is best."

Delilah approved and turned to Noah. "Okay, we're coming with you."

"Great! Three demigods, all I needed to get in even more trouble! Whatever, I hope that you are ready for a long bus trip. I am so thrilled."

I felt that Noah was soon going to get on my nerves. We started walking towards the bus station that our hostesses had indicated to us. I hoped that this trip would be our last and that finally, I would find a place I could call home.


	38. Incomprehension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest readers,
> 
> We are so sorry for not posting for the past two days! It's not because we don't like you, don't worry! We will try to post something at least every day. 
> 
> We called each other yesterday to plan the last chapters of this fanfic. Yes, it is almost the end! 
> 
> Thank you for your patience, your support, and your comments! 
> 
> \- E&C

~Jason~

The taxi was going so fast, I barely had the time to see the city passing by. As soon as we arrived, we climbed Half-Blood Hill running, crossing the magical barrier protected by Thalia's tree and the Golden Fleece. At that moment, Percy and Annabeth headed towards Zeus's fist, a former entrance to the Labyrinth. It was now a passageway between the two camps. I knew that they were trying to get the fastest to their children. As for me, I had to find Piper. I still felt so guilty for leaving her alone on the boat. We were on the other side of the world, then... I couldn't believe that we were back at camp. Our home, for so many years.

I tried to concentrate on my goal: ADHD did that sometimes. I had to find out where the fight was happening. Surely Piper was on the first line, fighting. I followed to echoes of the battle which were ringing in my ears. An explosion in the strawberry field made me go this way. It was at that moment that I saw the different cabins trying to fight off the enemy troops.

I could see the Ares cabin on the first line with their shining shields and the Hephaestus cabin with their freshly made machines pushing back their adversaries. I could hear Laurel Victor, daughter of Nike, shouting insults. Since she had lost her sister, five years prior, she was particularly fierce and dangerous in battle.

I noticed that, in spite of the number of enemies, they were advancing abnormally slow. Almost as if they didn't want to invade the camp. I brushed away the thought: surely this attack could not be a mere diversion. Anyway, what was the mean of a diversion? I stopped Austin Lake and Kayla Knowles, son and daughter of Apollo and two campers I recognized in the midst of the young faces.

"Have you seen--"

"Yeah, she's right over there, follow the food scraps." They disappeared inside the infirmary, probably to help some other campers. Hearing Austin's words, I understood that Piper had taken back her Cornucopia and that she was probably overwhelming the enemy with fresh fruit. This idea made me smile.

I ran towards the raging battle and found Piper, more beautiful than ever, her hair flowing behind her as she screamed directions to the fighters in front of her. I placed myself by her side and tried to push back the enemy troops the best I could. Throwing a few lightning bolts, I noticed that our adversaries looked more and more reluctant to approach. I, therefore, proceeded to keep them at a distance, letting my lightning bolts fall in strategic places and trying not to drain myself from all my energy.

I was back to back with Piper now, ready to do anything to defend us. Suddenly, the enemies stopped and the sound of combats abruptly stopped. The enemies stopped the attack, turned around and left as fast as they had come. Piper turned to face me, incomprehension in her eyes. The campers were frozen by surprise, asking themselves what had happened.

I tried to understand the situation and my gaze crossed Piper's. We understood that we were reunited at last and I kissed her tenderly, pressing her against me. We broke away and I noticed that some campers were looking at us strangely.

"What was that?" asked a young 14-year-old camper, sporting a deep cut on his forehead.

"um, it was a kiss, actually--"

"Yeah, I know. But I was talking about the enemies. They left suddenly. What about that? I thought they wanted to destroy the camps." The young boy was smirking.

"Oh, yeah, I don't know about that. We should try to communicate with Camp Jupiter to see if they need help."

I was a bit uncomfortable, but I noticed that all were looking at me. I remembered that I always had this role of a leader. I took a deep breath. "Okay, Apollo cabin, make sure that everyone who's injured gets the medical help needed. Ares cabin, help to carry the wounded. Hecate cabin, try to find out where the enemies are. Hephaestus cabin, look for hidden traps. Hermes cabin, contact Camp Jupiter and ask them if they need help. As for the others, help where you think you'll be the most useful."

The head counsellors repeated my orders, adding some of their own. I knew that Greek cabins didn't particularly like being told what to do, even if, deep down, that's what they were expecting.

I turned back to Piper, ready to apologize for what had happened on the boat, but she seemed to read my mind even before I started speaking.

"It's okay, you don't always have to save me, I can take care of myself. I came back here on my own, actually."

"I know, Pipes, but still, I should have stayed with you. We are a team."

I realized that this apology could apply to more than the boat incident, it was also referencing my behaviour at Hazel and Frank's wedding. This moment looked so far away to me. Hazel and Frank. Oh shit, Hazel and Frank.

"Pipes, the others are still at the airport. Percy, Annabeth and I left without them."

Oh shit, Percy and Annabeth.

"And Percy and Annabeth left to find their children."

Oh shit, Luke and Silena.

"We need to get going."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Piper was already running towards Zeus's fist.

~Rachel~

The battle was still raging on outside, but the demigod forces were starting to get the upper hand. I wanted to fight, too, but I was ushered away, sent to hide. They had told me that I was too valuable. I understood their argument. Yes, I had some sort of contact with the gods when I blurted out my prophecy and when I found a phone number in my soup. For the demigods, I was in a way their last hope. They saw the gods' silence as a phase. The fact that my oracle powers came back momentarily gave them hope. However, I didn't share their certainty that the gods would talk to me again. Still, I didn't want to crush all their dreams. I needed a bit of hope myself...

So I was seated in the attic, the official oracle place of residence. It was far from the spooky attic I had first moved in. It was now cozy and welcoming. Over the years, I had started a collection of different house plants. My room now looked more like a botanical garden, but I was happy this way.

I seated at my desk. I pushed aside my brushes and tubes of paint, staining my hands and arms in the process. I had never stopped painting, but with my oracle duties, I found less and less time to do it. When my powers started to get weaker and my visions more abstract, I had more time to paint, but also I found that it helped me to make sense of what I was seeing in my mind. Now was not the time to make art, however.

I took out a blank piece of paper and a pen. In capital letters, I wrote down the prophecy I had enunciated.

"As the oracle speaks her last address

You will side again with those who oppress

But the triumph of the inevitable you will not forfend

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."

I needed to decipher the code. I had to crack the meaning of the prophecy because I had the feeling that this was the only thing I could do to help my friends. If I found the meaning of the prophecy, my friends could put an end to this madness. Everything we went through would not be in vain. I took every line individually and wrote all the ideas that I had, without censoring myself. It was brainstorming time.

As the oracle speaks her last address

This line was probably the easiest. As much as the demigods didn't want to believe it, this meant that I would lose my oracle powers. This prophecy was my last. I hated to admit it, but I felt that something was missing in me. It was like if my powers were dormant. It could also mean that I was about to die. Maybe I would be killed in a battle, soon, and I wouldn't be able to see the gods back again. Somehow, I was confident that I still had many years in front of me, but either way, I was ready to accept my fate.

You will side again with those who oppress

This line was bothering me. I quickly found a hypothesis. Maybe this meant that we would fight alongside someone who would later betray us. It had already happened in the past, and it could be the case again. As a matter of fact, we had taken in Hugo and it turned out that he was a spy for our enemies, whoever they were. However, prophecies usually talked about future events, not things that already happened, and this was bothering me. Could it be possible that we would be betrayed again? If so, by whom?

But the triumph of the inevitable you will not forfend

The triumph of the inevitable... We wouldn't be able to stop it. Stop what? Death? Did this mean that we would lose yet another friend? Would more than one friend die? Would someone be cursed and unable to save? And the next line...

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

This was the final line of Percy's first prophecy. Was this a dark reference to him? Was something bad going to happen to him? This line was bothering me a lot.

I felt my heart drop. I had a bad feeling about this prophecy. I had the feeling that we couldn't win this battle. There was a bad ring to what I had said. And who was it addressed to? I said it in a room full of people. The you of the prophecy could have been any demigod present in the room. Or maybe it was about all of them? All of the demigods? Was this even possible?

I had to clear my mind. I picked up from the floor a couple of brushes and paint tubes. I found a blank canvas, put it on an easel and started preparing my colours. I started painting, letting my hand go freely. I was painting what was coming, without restraining myself. The lines and curves started to take shape the more I let go. I let my mind wander, I was barely thinking about my painting anymore, it was almost as if my mind was dissociating from my body.

Satisfied, I dropped my brush. When I saw the canvas, I snapped back to reality. I had painted a tall woman, seated on a stone throne. She looked powerful and important. She had magnificent feathered wings. In her hand, she was holding a long staff. Her hair was wrapped around her head according to the Ancient Greek fashion. The woman was staring directly at me. She looked so real, I almost expected to see her blink.


	39. Together Once Again

~Delilah~

The journey had been long, but without obstacles (if you forgot about Noah's mean comments). We also had managed to cross the border without too much trouble. Adelaide had transformed some touristic flyers into what looked like valid passports to the border guards.

After 6 hours on the road, we could admire New York with our own eyes. It was way more impressive than I could ever imagine. We hadn't entered Manhattan, but I could still see the immense buildings almost touching the sky. Well, maybe it was the case for the Empire State Building. I had lived all my life between Paris and the countryside. There, no construction was taller than the Eiffel Tower, which looked small in comparison to what I was seeing now.

"We're almost there. I'm surprised that the journey was that quiet, we could have blown out the bus," said Noah, nonchalant.

"Why would we blow up the bus?" Killian asked innocently. Noah used this to impress us.

"Yeah, one day, a satyr from camp, Woodrow, told me a story that Grover Underwood told him."

"It's starting to look like hearsay," Adelaide mumbled.

"Oka, Grover was a very busy satyr, he doesn't have the time to tell stories. Anyway, one time, Grover encountered the Furies in a bus when he was travelling with Percy and Annabeth and they made the bus explode while trying to escape. They say that Grover made them disappear by himself."

"I have my doubts," I said, laughing.

"Oh, why, because you know Grover, Percy, and Annabeth? Why do I have the feeling that you're hiding stuff from me? Not that I particularly want to hear about Percy and Annabeth the so perfect heroes, but if you have any information that would be useful. To stop the next destruction of humanity, for example. Because you could be interested, I'm sure."

Noah was really getting on my nerves. But he had a point. We possibly had crucial information. If no other demigod knew which goddess we were facing... I didn't want to start thinking about it. However, I had no intention to explain to Noah the fiasco that had been our short stay onboard the Penelope.

"No, we're only three demigods and a mortal who met in Canada," I answered, hesitantly.

"Of course. A French speaker, a German speaker and two Italian speakers. Your English is okay I guess, but I still can hear your accents." We stayed silent. "Anyway, I don't care. Enjoy the end of the world. As for me, I'm going to be reborn into a flower or something, it's always better than to die and be forgotten."

Killian seemed ready to get up and throw himself at Noah, but Adelaide retained him. The other passengers were starting to glance at us suspiciously. No one said another word until we reached our destination.

***

Two hours later, we were in front of the Big House. Noah had allowed James to cross the magical border. Around us, I could see the remains of a recent fight. Injured people were lying in camp beds and a few young people were busy tending to their wounds. Noah was leading us through this chaos with a determined stride.

We entered the Big House. I heard a voice speaking. "Chiron, we didn't make it on time. I... I... They... " The voice broke.

"We have to use all of our resources to find them. The Hecate cabin could try to find them with their magic, the Hermes cabin could also look for them."

It was at that moment that Noah decided to announce us by clearing his throat. "Sorry to interrupt your fascinating drama, but I found three demigods roaming in Canada. Hoping they're going to make a great human shield during your next battle."

A man in a wheelchair answered. "Noah, you know too well that we welcome demigods here to protect them." He sighed.

"Of course!"

I rolled my eyes and finally noticed who was facing us. Around the table was seated the whole crew aboard the Penelope. Percy had reddened eyes and looked ready to crumble. Annabeth was helping him to sit straight, but I could see that she was suffering. All eyes were on us and I felt the air thicken with discomfort. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

"But you were on the other side of the world only a few days ago! I said.

"You, too," Nico put in.

"AH! I knew that you knew them!" Noah exclaimed.

"You, shut up," I said, my eyes throwing knives.

"Oh, my gods! You are the kids from my paintings!" said a young woman with red hair, surprised. 

"Okay, sorry to interrupt, but what the fuck is happening?" asked a young girl who looked my age, wearing a silvery jacket.

Frank took over, which was fairly easy for him with his big frame, but more difficult with his soft voice.

"Guys, I think that we should sit down and clarify everything," he suggested.

"Ooh, this is starting to get interesting," Leo said. Calypso slapped his shoulder, letting him know that now was not the time. Frank continued. "Percy, Annabeth, you can go home and rest, or stay here. We have to find a way to get Luke and Silena back."

"We're going to stay," Annabeth decided.

"Perfect, let's do this."

~Frank~

I went to take a few more chairs so the kids could sit with us. I had to admit that they were the last people I was expecting to see at camp. Even if Noah had a reputation of pessimism and mean sarcasm, he was good at his job. He always managed to bring back the demigods who could put up with him for the whole trip.

When everyone was seated, I took the lead and asked a burning question. "Okay, Delilah, Adelaide, Killian, James. How on Earth are you here?"

"Well," said Adelaide, somewhat awkwardly, I shadow travelled with the gang."

"You what?" Nico exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know, it kind of didn't work. We ended up in Montréal. Thankfully we got some help from a few mortal girls. Very nice, by the way."

"Are you sure they weren't monsters?" Jason asked, unable to let go of Piper's hand.

"Well, we spent the night at their place and we are still alive... We got attacked after we left, that's when Noah found us and took us to camp."

Delilah and the two boys nodded. This seemed to be the truth.

"And did you get any valuable information during your trip?" I continued. "I mean, did you have a dream, did you meet with someone? Anything that might be useful?"

"Yes," Killian chimed in. "I had a dream, on the Penelope, actually, but I didn't come around to tell you." We all looked at the boy with curiosity. Killian, on the other hand, looked a bit intimidated to be in the spotlight. "I dreamed of my father, Hypnos. He told me that we were fighting the inevitable. I don't know what this means."

Rachel suddenly gasped loudly. We all were startled and we turned around to look in her direction.

"I'm sorry! It's just that I've put everything together for the first time!" She picked a piece of paper out of her pocket. She unfolded it and smoothed it at the centre of the table for everyone to see.

"That's the prophecy you said," Piper pointed out.

"Yes," Rachel agreed. "I have been trying to figure it out. Look at this line. But the triumph of the inevitable you will not forfend. There must be a link here."

"Okay, so basically we are going to fail to stop what must happen?" Percy asked.

"It looks like it." Rachel sighed. "Then it gets more interesting. When I was in prison, the man keeping me captive, Ossian, told me that Ananke sent her regards. And Ananke is--"

"The primordial goddess of the inevitable," Adelaide said, completing Rachel's sentence.

Rachel looked at her in disbelief. "So you know?"

"Yeah, we made our deductions from Killian's dream."

"Okay, tell me if you recognize this. I drew this right after trying to figure out the prophecy. It came to me, I didn't mean to paint this." Rachel took out another piece of paper and handed it to Adelaide. She looked at it.

"Yeah, that's her. That's Ananke."

"Okay, hold on," said Leo, confused. "You are telling me that we have to fight a primordial goddess, and might I add, the goddess of all things that have to happen? And we will fail to prevent something bad to happen?"

"Yes, but it's not necessarily bad. Maybe something will catch on fire, we will not be able to prevent it, but anyway it was bound to catch on fire anyway," said Rachel.

"Thank you for the fire metaphor, I appreciate it," Leo laughed.

"I don't," I replied.

"Still, this prophecy sounds pretty bad," Hazel pointed out. "It says we will fail to save what matters the most."

No one added anything. Percy and Annabeth held on noticeably tighter. They were thinking about their children, no wonder. Percy even muttered something under his breath, something that sounded like This dam prophecy again. Even if the prophecy sounded indeed very grim, it was a start. At last, we knew who we were fighting.

"And there's more," Rachel said with a small voice. "Ossian told me that he basically wanted to eliminate all the gods. We are fighting a goddess to keep her from killing all the gods. All the gods, from all the religions."

"What, she wants to be the only god worth worshipping? Like a faith dictator?" Leo asked.

"No... Ananke wants to go down with all of them."


	40. Family Meetings

~Adelaide~

In the face of the looming horror, Delilah, Killian, James, and I decided to leave the adults together. They knew the place and the fighting tactics best. Anyway, we really had to sleep since our bus trip hadn’t been the most relaxing one. I left my three companions and we set off to look out for our new cabins.

I had a lot of difficulties getting used to the presence of the other demigods, in the beginning. I even had resentment towards Delilah, who appeared to me like an unreachable ideal.

Still, I had learned to know these people who had become… friends? I didn’t know if they qualified as friends, I knew I still made them uneasy. However, our trip around the world and our last battle had proved that we could have each other's back. I glanced shyly at Delilah, who was already leaving with a camper who had the same blond hair.

I was left face to face with a young boy with brown hair and freckles. Enodia sniffed him minutely, then licked his hand, seemingly trusting him. The boy smiled at me, not entirely reassured, and lead me to the cabin.

"Sooo, how long have you known that you’re a daughter of Hecate?" he asked me awkwardly.

"I… Actually, I met her a few weeks ago when I was still in Europe," I remembered the strange apparition of my mother in a dark alleyway.

"You met her? So you might be the very last person who saw her before the gods stopped giving us news. How is she?"

"She’s weird and a little scary." I realized that I maybe was luckier than I had expected. My half-brother never met our mother. I didn’t tell him that I was even given Enodia, who was in sorts my guardian, also sent by Hecate. The boy continued.

"It’s the first time that I meet a demigod born in Europe! We have known for some time that a few demigods are born outside the United States, but since there’s never a quest to get to them, they never come here!" I wondered how this kid, despite having the same mother as me, didn’t seem to possess the same aura of despair that always stuck to me. Maybe Hecate’s magic didn’t have any effect on me.

We finally arrived at the cabin, which was composed of four modules, back to back. It was built using stones engraved with magical scriptures. Inside, a dozen campers, aged 10 to 30, all had various items collected on their beds. The place had a strange vibe to it.

A young woman came to greet me. "Hi, I’m Lou Ellen, former head counsellor, and here’s Jack. The new head counsellor should be arriving shortly, she’s working around the clock to find Luke and Silena. You can settle in, we were listening to one of Adrian’s lesson. He had a trip to Greece last year and he found a book with lots of new spells!"

I thanked her and put my few belongings on an empty bed with Enodia. I decided that this time I was going to try and be kind to the others. Learning new spells sounded like something quite fun and I thought that if people could get me, it was surely going to be these guys.

~Killian~

I was walking with James, not knowing exactly where we were going. I hope that my friend was going to be allowed to stay in a cabin with me even if he wasn’t a demigod. After all that we went through, I really didn’t see him alone in a spooky room, or in a cabin with people he didn’t have anything in common.

"Are you sure we’re on the right path?" James asked. "It looks like you’re walking in a straight line just for the thrill of it."

"You’re right, let’s ask someone."

I had to admit that I was shy to ask for directions. All the demigods passing us looked set on an objective. Most of them were still rushing from a cabin to the other with jugs and platters of unknown substances or with medical supplies. Some of them were carrying injured campers and looked in a hurry. Thankfully, I saw two teenagers, hand in hand, taking what looked like a stroll across the field. They were talking to each other and laughing.

"Excuse me, where is the Hypnos cabin?" I asked them.

Their eyes grew wide. In a single movement, they pointed to a small, old-fashioned prairie house, almost at the end of the road. I thanked them and the couple left, muttering under their breath.

"Well, this looks promising," I sighed.

James and I reached the cabin and knocked. There was no answer, so we pushed the door and entered. The cabin, despite its shabby facade, looked cozy and welcoming in the inside. There was a large fire burning in the fireplace. Above the mantel was hanging a tree. From its branches, water was dripping in small tin bowls. The sound of the drops falling into the bowl was keeping the tempo of a violin melody seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The cabin was deserted.

"Well," I sighed. "I guess it’s just you and me." I had to admit that I was a bit disappointed. There were so many demigods at camp, and none of them were one of my siblings?

James and I headed to the back of the cabin, where beds were laid out. The beds looked like the most comfortable ones in the whole wide world. There were feather pillows, fluffy quilts and fresh sheets. As I was placing my few belongings on the bed, I noticed that James had crashed on one of the beds, still fully clothed and his shoes still on his feet.

"James?" All I got for an answer was a big, loud snore.

I heard the door of the cabin opening and I turned around startled. A blond man entered, looking tired. He unstrapped his sword from his back. He was about to throw it blindly on a bed when he noticed that he wasn’t alone. His surprised gaze went from me to James, from James to me.

"Hi," I said, breaking the awkward silence. "I’m Killian, son of Hypnos. And here’s James, my friend. He’s… a mortal."

"Yeah, I can see that," replied the man, not specifying what he was understanding from my sentence. "I’m Clovis, head counsellor of the Hypnos cabin. And also only occupant..." His voice trailed off.

"I hope it’s not a problem if James stays here? We’ve been through a lot, I wouldn’t want to leave him alone in an unknown place."

"Oh, no, not at all. Excuse me if I don’t look enthusiastic. It’s just that I’ve been so alone for so long. I’ve lived here for so long. I had two other siblings, but they died during a quest many years ago… I didn’t know that dad was still up making babies."

He laughed painfully. Then, an awkward silence settled between us.

"I’m sorry," continued Clovis. "It’s not a great first impression, I know. I’m so tired, I’ve been fighting, then helping demigods to sleep. You know, injuries, trauma, the works..."

"I understand," I said, I really did."

"We’ll talk in the morning okay, I promise. I wake up early."

Clovis walked to his bed. Quickly, he fell asleep and I was left alone listening to a concerto for violin, tin bowls and two snoring boys.

~Delilah~

Had Adelaide smiled at me? I couldn’t tell for sure. I was following a young woman in her twenties with black hair, among which I could see a blue lock. After a few minutes, we reached a cabin with a roof covered with grass. Inside, a gigantic oak tree was holding the ceiling. I was impressed by the beauty of the place. The spacious room smelled of apple pie.

I was greeted by a young girl, chubby and discreet. Her face lit up with a big smile. "Welcome!" she said.

Around me, I could see all the demigods busy at cooking or caring for injured campers. Sun rays were coming in from the window and caressed the tree in the middle of the room. I observed all the unknown faces, incomprehensibly familiar. I now had so many brothers and sisters! After so many years of living in Paris, a city with so little greenery, I was surrounded by nature and kind faces.

I couldn’t help but stay frozen on the spot, smiling wide. A tall boy with brown hair burst out laughing at the sight of me and I snapped out of my reverie, embarrassed. He spoke to me. "Don’t be so shy I know that we are the best cabin. We may not win at capture the flag, but it’s good living here. Or at least we are trying to make this place enjoyable for the days you are not risking your life in a quest."

I smiled at him. He was right. It was nice living here and I could easily get used to it. A small girl with ginger hair approached me. "Is it true that you travelled with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase and the other demigods of the prophecy?" she asked with a small voice.

I didn’t want to hurt her, but my tone was snappier than I wanted. "Yes, yes, our paths crossed."

"How was Percy? Everyone says that he’s the most powerful demigod of our times." she continued.

"He was okay, I guess," I said, dismissing her questions more and more.

"Oof, someone has a crush," the tall boy teased.

"No, I don’t!" I realized that I was acting like a child. The boy laughed and answered me.

"Don’t worry, everyone had had a crush on the famous Percy Jackson at some point in their lives. Even me."

The chubby girl added. "Yeah, it’s like Leonardo Dicaprio. Everybody thinks he’s hot, well he’s like 47 years old. No big deal. Percy is like any other character from your favourite novel, he was conceived so everyone falls for him."

I didn’t know how to respond. I observed them for a long time and decided that I was going to get along with them just fine. The girl who had greeted me first pointed to an empty bed. "You can settle here! By the way, my name is Violet. The girl who brought you here is Billie Ng, the small one with red hair is Willow and the tall one here is Oliver. Welcome to the Demeter Cabin!"


	41. Off Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the end :)
> 
> Sorry if we didn't write anything in the last few days, Calliope was gone. We are going to try and keep a good rhythm, but life is slowly starting to get back to normal, which gives us less time to write. But since there are not so many chapters left, we can tell you with confidence that we will soon finish this magical ride that we started in 2015! (For real, we realized that we started writing this fanfic 1 week after the release of BoO hahaha that was a long time ago).
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> -E&C

~Grover~

"Hey man, you know that we're going to find them."

We were seated in Cabin 3, Percy, Annabeth and I. Percy had an empty gaze. He looked as if he had lost all energy and he had dropped on his bed as soon as he had entered the room. Annabeth had seated beside him. I knew Annabeth well enough to know that she was trying to hide her pain behind her faked determination. This girl always impressed me with her courage and her ability to detach herself from her emotions.

"Percy, Annabeth, you know that we are going to get them back. We must keep the faith," I tried to convince them desperately. I got no answer. Percy was my best friend, Annabeth had always been there for me, and me for her. I had to keep them from losing hope.

"Annabeth, listen to me." She lifted her head and stared at me with her gray eyes. "You know that they're still alive, Nico said so. And I know that you could lift the sky only for people you love. You already did that. You could move heaven and earth to find the people that you love. You did that, too."

"Grover, you are so right. We cannot give up, under any circumstance. I'm just so tired. I thought that all these stories of crazy goddesses were behind us. And above all, I thought I would be able to protect Luke and Silena. But now I realize that we will never be safe. Even in New Rome. There are always dangers. We are going to find them, no matter what. But I have this feeling that this is our last battle." She took a break to breathe. I didn't know what to answer. She continued, without a break.

"Grover, if something happens to us, promise me that you will take care of our kids. Assuming we will succeed in bringing them back safely. I mean, in your case, your life expectancy is longer than ours..."

"Of course, Annabeth, I promise." It was at this moment that Percy lifter his head. A silent tear was sliding down his cheek.

"Grover, in that case, we'll have to cut our empathy link," Percy said, grave.

I looked at him, struck. Annabeth took his hand but said nothing. I countered fiercely. "Percy, you're not thinking straight. We need this link, it saved us more than once!"

"Grover, I know that we insisted on keeping it a long time ago. But I did it because I thought that I needed it to be there always to protect you. And I knew you would do the same for me. Now, the stakes are higher. I'm talking about my children. If something was to happen to us, you need to still be alive to take care of them. With an empathy link, it's almost impossible. It's a sacrifice that I'm asking you to make, a colossal one. Do this for Luke and Silena. Please."

I looked down. Percy was right.

"Okay, fine, you win. But know that it was an honour to share this link with you for the last 17 years." He didn't answer, but I understood that he was reciprocating the feeling when he nodded. We placed each other face to face and we stared at each other, thinking in unison about the link we were trying to sever. And suddenly, this strong link was dissolved. I could no longer perceive Percy's emotions, except by looking deep into his green eyes. I therefore could see the change in his attitude.

"Let's go kick Ananke's ass, then," he said. His beaten down air had been replaced by a determined gaze. Annabeth took his hand and smiled at him, sharing his regain of energy. Right before exiting the cabin to join the rest of the crew, Percy turned around to face me.

"Thanks for everything, man. Take care of Juniper."

Then he disappeared with Annabeth, holding each other by the waist.

~Piper~

"Alright, so now we have to get to Olympus?" I asked in disbelief.

Jason and I were back in our home in New Rome. Jason was frantically packing a few belongings in a backpack.

"Yes, it's our last chance at finding and freeing the gods."

"Okay, but how do you know that it's where they are?"

"Pipes, they are gods. Look at the Titans. They were imprisoned in Tartarus by gods. They have to be somewhere powerful. And what a better place than Olympus, where most of the were already rounded up?"

I thought about it. It was true, he was right. Now that we knew that we were facing Ananke, it was the most plausible situation.

"But... but what if it's a trap?" Jason turned around to face me. There was doubt in his face. "You thought about it too, right?"

"Of course I thought about it," said Jason, taking my hands. "But we have no other choice than to go there. We'll be on our guards, as always. We trained for dangerous stuff for all our lives. And we saw so many messed up stuff in our lives, how different can it be now?"

I smiled. Jason always had a way to calm me. Even if the mission ahead of us was dangerous, I knew that I was going into battle with him by my side.

"Of course, you don't have to come," Jason continued. "You can stay here and take care of the camps."

"Don't even think about it."

***

The crew was once again together: Percy and Annabeth, Frank and Hazel, Calypso and Leo, Will and Nico, Jason and I, and Rachel. We were standing at the edge of Camp Half-Blood, near Thalia's tree. A camper car was waiting for us on the road nearby. The camps had started to buy a small armada of motorized vehicles when the missions started to be farther and farther from both camps. Still, the vehicles were often second-hand and beaten up. Satyrs were responsible for retrieving them from junkyards and the many Hephaestus children worked together to bring them back to life, with extra magical features. The minivan was an old 60's Westfalia. There were still faded flower power stickers. On the dashboard, there was a ticket from the original 1968 Woodstock Festival.

"I'm driving," said Annabeth in a way no one was tempted to question her.

We all packed our few belongings in the back. Bags or weapons, ambrosia and nectar were added to the trunk by Chiron and Thalia. They looked anxiously at us, unable to say anything.

"Be careful out there," said Thalia, for good measure.

"Call us if you need backup," added Chiron, pressing a cellphone into my palm. "I'll stay by the phone."

It was very strange to be given a phone by the man who banned technology in all its forms from the campgrounds. But, since the monster activity was abnormally low, the head counsellors and preators had decided together that it was acceptable to use a cell phone once, in case of extreme necessity. I turned the phone in my hand. I noticed that the camp's phone number was written on a piece of paper tucked into the hard case.

We said our goodbyes and boarded the Westfalia. Annabeth floored the pedal and we speeded on the road. For the duration of the trip, about an hour, there was no talking. Annabeth was a careful driver, but it was clear that she didn't have a lot of practice. Still, I felt safer than during a chariot race, which was good. The air was filled with tension, grief, exhaustion and anticipation. I was glad that this was not a long road trip, because I wouldn't have been able to stand this for too long.

We entered the heavy traffic of New York City. Everywhere, people were pressing on the sidewalks, rushing into Subway stations, hailing taxis, taking pictures, as if this was just any other day. No one suspected that we were, once again, on the verge of the end of the world. I surprised myself being jealous of their carelessness.

Annabeth pulled over one block away from the Empire State Building. Our Westfalia had a magical feature: it could compress itself and park in even the tightest spot. In the heart of New York City, this was very useful. We all disembarked, unpacked the camper and met on the sidewalk.

"Alright, this is it," said Jason. "We might not know much, so let's stick to what we do best: fight. We did this many times and we always succeeded. We need to free the gods, our fellow campers and all the other prisoners. And we have to stop a goddess."

"Nothing that we haven't yet done," Leo smiled.

Without further ado, we all headed to the entrance of the Empire State Building. The lobby was full of tourists, but we headed straight to the elevators. I used my charmspeak to convince the people in line that we had been in front of them all along, and they let our group take the first place in the line. We were next for the elevator ride.

The doors opened and the elevator operator gestured to us to come forward. Our group entered the elevator and we were alone. Only us, no tourists, and the operator.

"Let me guess, 600th floor?" asked the operator as the doors closed on the lobby.

I was startled. We all stared in disbelief at the man preparing the elevator to get to Olympus. I noticed that his hair was electric blue. Rachel noticed this at the same time as me and gasped.

"Julian?"

"Hey, Rachel. Glad to see you again! These are your friends, I presume? Nice little gang. I was expecting you," Julian answered in a tired voice.

"How did you know we would come?" I asked.

Julian looked up. "Ananke," he answered in a respectful tone.

"Okay, who is this?" Jason whispered in my ear.

"Guy from prison. I'll explain later."

"600th floor," Julian announced.

The doors opened on a scene of pure chaos. The buildings usually majestic, the scenery usually so green had been replaced by destruction and desolation. The trees and other vegetation were all burnt down. The houses and buildings were crumbling. There was smoke in the air and a heavy, thick silence covered everything. No one moved.

"Okay, the ride is over, you have to get out," said Julian teasingly. "In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of people downstairs waiting for a ride."

So we stepped into the complete desolation of what had once been Olympus. I saw in the distance a man standing on the path, coming towards us. When he was close enough for me to see his traits, I saw that he had black hair to his shoulders, a single silver strand at his temple. He was very fashionably dressed in a well-tailored suit. My stomach turned when I noticed that he was missing a hand.

"Welcome, demigods, Rachel," the man said. "Welcome to Olympus."


	42. Frank

We were lead through a destructed mount Olympus. It was built on the model of an actual Ancient Greek city. Ossian, at least I thought that was the guy's name, lead us to the edge of the city, where a theatre was. It was all stone, rows and rows of stones steps made a semi-circle in front of a gigantic stage. To me, it looked more like a stone football stadium cut in half than a Greek theatre.

There was a heavy silence in the place, even if the rows of seats were packed. Ossian lead us to the stage and gestured for us to sit on wooden benches at one edge of the platform.

"Please, make yourself at home," Ossian whispered to us. "Slip your weapons under your seats, we won't be needing them."

Then, Ossian cleared his throat and started shaking his arms and jogging lightly on the spot, as if to get rid of built-up tension and as if to warm up.

"Okay, wish me luck. Actually, no. Don't. That's a bad omen."

"Gods, goddesses, spirits, deities of all kinds, demigods, mortals, et cetera. I am so glad to greet you here, on Mount Olympus, the place where all mythologies started. Okay, I see you, Gilgamesh, I know you are like 4000 years old, but I mean modern mythology. The mythology that is still influencing us to this day. I don't mean to offend anyone, you'll all be dead soon, anyway, so it won't sting for too long right?"

"He's a mad man," whispered Hazel in my ear, her hand squeezing on her sword.

"I see a few familiar faces in the crowd!" Ossian exclaimed. "Jesus, hi, how are you doing? Paryaqaqa, always looking so young! Seth, Ashiakle, Vulcain, Persephone, Vishnu, it's so good to see you! Oh and Thor, you really do look better than in those movies! I would like for you to meet the genius that organized this little reunion. Please, give a hand to Ananke!"

I could hear a fly. No one moved or even breathed. Some divinities were children, animals, or plants, and still, nothing could make them move or make a noise. Then, the air seemed to freeze. A tall, beautiful woman stepped on the stage. She was dressed in a cascading fabric and wings were flowing in her back and grazing the pavement. On one hand, she had a long staff, even taller than she was. She made appear a stone throne out of thin air, right in the middle of the stage. She sat, her heavy wings folded in her back, her staff authoritatively planted in the ground beside her.

"Friends," she said. Her voice was soft but deep, deafening but calming. One was compelled to listen to her voice as if every word was a fundamental truth. "You are gathered here because it is the end. Over the course of the last few months, my dedicated teams worked tirelessly to round you up here. Your powers were used so I could invest energy into willing mortals for them to help me. I have slain the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails in a fire. As an old prophecy predicted it, I now have the power to destroy the gods."

"Bessie, no," I heard Percy desperately whisper.

"I just need one last push, and my plan will be complete. This is where you come in." Ananke looked at us, gathered on the wooden benches. "Ossian, please, let us start."

"Thank you, my lady. Let me start by introducing my own life journey. I was born into a doomsday cult. For years, I grew up in a community preparing for the end of the world. Every two years, around the summer solstice, we waited for our death. The week coming up to the summer solstice was a week of sacrifices of all kinds, prayers, and physical suffering. After a few years of waiting for the apocalypse, I decided that this was too much for me. I left the cult. But I had been so used to have my life regulated in every aspect by the leader, that after a year, I was homeless and I had no friends. Therefore I started frequenting different religious communities, without finding what I was looking for. How could a god, any god, allow this much suffering for its followers and for others? I was restless. I hit rock bottom. This is when Lady Ananke found me. She understood my struggles and I decided to help her put an end to the era of gods."

Ossian took a minute to himself, reflecting on his past, his head bowed. Then, he glanced at Ananke and continued.

"Don't get me wrong, religion can allow many people to find a meaning to their life and, even after today, all will still adore gods and goddesses. But they won't be able to interact with the world anymore. They will become legends and leave humans alone..."

Ossian smiled and turned to us on the wooden benches.

"Frank Zhang, son of Mars, please step forward." Seeing that I was hesitating, Ossian sighed. "Look, let's get this over it. I have a lot to do. Step forward. I won't be asking again. And if Mars could stand up, please. "

So I did. Hazel's fingers tried to catch my hand, but I was already in the middle of the stage, between Ossian and Ananke. Standing in front of many full pantheons, I felt a bit intimidated. Among the sea of people, I saw Mars, my father, looking at me. I tried not to think about it too much so I focussed all my attention on Ossian.

"Frank, the gods have wronged you. All your life, you've been escaping death. You have lost people you love. Your mortal family, your mother. For all your life, you have fought against the worst evils. And what was your reward? Have you gotten any thanks from the gods?"

"Well, I..." I trailed off. The fact was that Ossian was making a point.

"Oh, I'm sorry, they did thank you. By making a cruel joke. Frank, your life is tied to a stick! A big, strong man like you, afraid of a little stick to catch on fire? I'm so sorry, but this is nothing but a disservice. Not only do you have to fight off monsters, but also you have to protect yourself from fire. You are twice as vulnerable as any other demigod. This is only a cruel joke."

"But..."

"And did you ask for any of this?"

"Well, I mean... You don't get to chose your parents."

"Answer the question, smart boy. Did you ask for the life you are living?"

"No. No, I didn't."

"And what did this bring to you?"

"Well, friends. Life experiences. A wife."

"You could have made friends without the gods. You could have experienced a job, a career, without the gods. You could have married without the gods. And you could have had better chances to grow old and enjoy all of them for longer, instead of constantly worrying about them."

I was taken aback. Ossian was right. I did want to grow old with Hazel. I hadn't worried to much about my piece of wood lately, but how that Ossian talked about it, I had learned to live with a constant fear rather than try to figure a way out of this curse. I suddenly started hating the gods. Any god, really, but especially my father, who did the bare minimum for me. So many times he ignored me, he let my friends get hurt and die, and he forced a curse on me.

"I see that you are thinking about what I said," Ossian noticed. "There is only one thing left for you to say. Do you renounce the gods?"

I looked at my father, who was still standing in the middle of the crowd. He looked at me with pleading eyes. But I didn't waver. What was I to him? One son among thousands, a disposable pawn.

"How do I know that this is not yet another trick? You are a liar," I said. The truth was that I was trying to convince myself that I was right. It was too much for me to accept that, for my whole life, I had fought for the wrong side and that I had been a tool.

Still, I raised my sword and lunged towards Ossian.


	43. Hazel

Seeing Frank charging, we were up on our feet in a heartbeat, ready to go with him. I thought that the gods would help us, but they stayed frozen on their seats. I caught a glimpse of my father among the crowd and I could read terror in his eyes. How could a god be forced to witness the unravelling of its own destruction? And all of it depending on demigods. Had it always been this way? And still, Pluto and all the others had been not that much there for us and we were yet again risking our lives to save theirs.

So we all took our weapons and we threw ourselves towards Ossian and Ananke. We had fought so many times together that it seemed to me almost easy to win against a goddess and a mortal. However, our confidence was quickly struck down when the ground began to shake around us. Suddenly, walls started building around us and we found ourselves isolated from one another.

I recognized the labyrinth in which I was caught while fighting Pasiphae. As I tried to think about a strategy to outsmart the labyrinth, as I had done many years prior, a voice rang in my head.

"You can try to control the Mist, Hazel Levesque, but you can't escape me. I have the power of all the gods in me." It was Ananke's voice, powerful and caressing. She had infiltrated sneakily my thoughts.

I needed a plan, and quickly. What were the dangers around me? How could I modify the labyrinth in order to show Ananke what she desired the most? As soon as these thoughts entered my mind, two gorgons appeared in front of me. I recognized them: they were the ones that attacked Percy upon his arrival at Camp Jupiter.

They threw themselves at me, ready to chop me into bits. I raised my blade and entered another battle, one to protect my own life. In the meantime, Ananke's voice was still resonating in my head. She seemed to be taking advantage of my weakness to keep me from keeping my mind clear.

"Hazel, there's only one thing you have to do to get rid of the gorgons and to save the young demigods you came here to rescue."

I didn't answer, jumping from side to side while trying to dodge my adversaries' sharp nails. I dug my blade deep in the first gorgon's abdomen and it disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of golden powder.

"Renounce the gods, Hazel, it's all you have to do. They must be destroyed."

"No, it's a trap!" I tried to protest.

"Why? I am the inevitable, and the inevitable is that the gods will be destroyed. All they did was ruin the lives of too many people. I will vanish with them, leaving you a world in which the god's petty needs don't exist anymore."

"They are our parents, they created us, how could we betray them?" The second gorgon slashed my arm and I let out a cry of pain. As the blood started flowing out of the wound, I charged again.

"Hazel, you of all people should understand changes. Sometimes authority and the system in which we live is unfair, we have to rise up to change it. You did it sometimes in the streets, to protest against your government... How is this any different? More often than not, religion tears people apart rather than bringing them together, and this has always been true. Why accept this when you are so concerned about including everyone?"

"I..." The words died in my throat. There must be something to answer to that. It was true that I had fought against racism many times, but could this compare to what we were living as demigods? I dodged another attack and sliced the second gorgon's head off in a sharp move in order to send her away, like her sister. I attempted at catching back my breath and clearing my mind.

"The gods helped us to win over Gaia who, just like you, wanted the gods' destruction! Without Hecate and without Pluto, I would be dead!" I shouted to defend myself.

Ananke had an annoyed laugh. "Gaia wanted to give the power to giants and destroy the world as you know it. I want to leave you with what you built. And how can you come to Hecate and Pluto's defence? The former watched you as you fought for your life before deciding if you deserved to live and the later let you die without batting an eye."

As I tried to process what the goddess had just said, a vision came to me. Was it true or was it the Mist? The labyrinth seemed to open to let me see a scene that let me awestruck. A bear was ferociously fighting against Katoblepones. It was badly injured. The bear was losing its energy and changed back to Frank.

I ran to him, brandishing my sword, ready to eradicate all of the Katoblepones in my path. As I was almost at Frank's side, a wall appeared to separate me from him. I cried out in rage.

"Do you think that hurting the people that I love is the way to convince me?"

"But Hazel, I'm only showing you what could have happened. Frank could have died in Venice when you were trying to save the gods."

"But he's not dead! Mars blessed him!"

"And he did so to save himself, at the end of the line," she said, chuckling terrifyingly. "Do I need to remember you all those who suffered for the gods?"

Suddenly, another wall came crashing down and I saw Nico fighting a spectre, whose beard was pointed like a spear blade, while its eyes glittered cruelly. I didn't even have the time to get near him that the wall was reconstructing again and a different one was crumbling to show me Leo, caught in a tornado of fire. This vision blurred away, too.

"Stop it!" I cried. "Leave them alone!"

"Hazel," Ananke continued. "Since birth, you have been cursed. You never lived an independent life. You were cursed by your father and used by your mother. You lost your only friend and first love and you had no choice but to sacrifice yourself for the gods' cause. And you killed your own mother in the process. You gave up Elysium for her. When did you start making your own choices, choices for yourself? You do so much for the gods, what have they done for you?"

"My father allowed me to come back to life," I answered.

"And for what? Is your life better now? You have been sacrificing yourself for others for years now. Your honeymoon was cut short. This was a poisoned gift."

I could not find anything to retort. Ananke was making a point, but there was still something, deep down, that kept me from surrendering totally to her cause. I had to support my friends, I had to find them and not abandon them. There was still a twist in my gut telling me that she was wrong. Still, I switched from an offensive fight to a defensive one. I stopped pushing forward, I was only trying to keep enemies at bay and stay alive.


	44. Delilah

We saw the legendary demigods leaving camp to find the other lost demigods. And since then, the tension was palpable at camp. Even if I had just met a new family, I couldn't forget that some people were risking their lives for us. In the meantime, we could only train and make some rounds to prepare for a future attack. I couldn't stand waiting around without news anymore.

They left at the end of the evening. We were now all in our cabins, right after the sing-along. Willow was giving directions to the campers to make sure that the cabin would be clean for tomorrow's inspection. As we prepared to go to bed, Oliver came to sit near my bed.

"Deli, can I call you Deli?"

I shivered slightly, remembering the last person who had called me Deli. It was Hugo. And that Hugo had betrayed us, taking with him Lewis's life. I pushed this memory away.

"Yeah, I guess you can."

"Okay Deli, I simply wanted to say that Willow falls asleep very quickly. And that harpies usually start their inspection with the Big Hall and then they go to the Mess Hall and then the Amphitheatre. It's at that moment that they'll be the farthest from the stables. It leaves you about 30 minutes. Also, Blackjack can guide you."

"I don't get it," I said innocently.

"Oh, I think that you know exactly what I'm talking about." He let the silence settle between us. "Billie knows, she'll say nothing though. Good luck Deli." Then he went to his own bed as if nothing had ever happened.

Oliver was right. Since I had seen the Penelope crew leaving in the van towards Mount Olympus, my bag was ready. A few ambrosia squares, a water bottle, a first aid kit. Now, I knew exactly what was left to do. I waited a few minutes and heard Willow's snores. I then decided to take my bag and slip out of the cabin.

The last sun rays had vanished and I took advantage of the dark to reach Cabin 15. I quickly found myself facing the earth walls of Hypnos's cabin. I didn't know how to let Killian know that I was waiting for him without waking all the other campers up. Not all Hypnos children were narcoleptics.

Only 15 minutes left.

As I was staring at the door, it opened slowly. I only had the time to hide behind a low bush. Lifting my head, I could see Killian's brown hair slipping through the door. I got quickly on my feet to let him know that I was there. He jumped and I put my hand over his mouth before he had the time to scream. He pushed me back vigorously.

"What are you doing here, Delilah?"

"I'm going to the Empire State Building." There was an awkward silence. "What about you? What are you doing?"

"Same as you." We stared at each other. I came to bring him with me, but I never thought that he would have the same idea as me.

"Okay then, stop looking at me like that. Let's go find Adelaide."

I nodded. "Don't you want to take Lewis with us?" I asked.

"No, James is too young. And he already lost Leis. And he cannot see through the Mist. We should let him sleep in peace."

I nodded again. Without saying another word, we headed to Cabin 20.

Even before reaching the cabin, we fell face to face with Adelaide, who was hiding well in the dark. A dark aura seemed to surround her. I was almost attacked by Enodia, who then proceeded to lick my face.

"Calm down, girl!" I said, laughing.

Adelaide sighed. "I guess that I'll have to travel with you, again. Enodia won't let me go alone."

She smiled weakly. I interrogated in Adelaide. "What makes you want to help the others? I really thought that we would have to convince you."

"You have that much of a bad opinion of me? No, seriously, I thought that they deserved a bit of help. After all, we parted ways on bad terms without explaining and they had been decent with us. Anyway, they can't get through it without us."

"Yeah, it's the new demigod generation's turn to take a stand! We'll show the legendary Percy Jackson what we are capable of!" Killian and Adelaide grinned.

Only 10 minutes left.

We ran towards the stables. While we thought that the way was cleared, we heard voices.

"The harpies aren't making a very good job tonight," Killian mumbled.

The voices seemed to disagree with one another.

"No, you know very well that I'm doing this for the sake of both camps!"

"e don't know when an attack could take place. You have to stay here to guard the camps, that's how you'll serve them."

"It's a trap! You saw how weak the attack was compared to the force that could have been used, surely you noticed that! And anyway, why wouldn't I let you take care of the camps?"

"The camps are not my home, it's not my role to protect them. I need to go to help Lady Artemis."

I suddenly understood that Thalia was disagreeing with someone. I couldn't find who. In an instant, Enodia ran to the stables, directly on the to women standing there. Adelaide ran after her dog and we had no other choice but to leave our hiding place.

Thalia exclaimed, looking horrified. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Same thing as you, apparently," said Adelaide in a calm tone. "We all had the same idea tonight."

Before any woman could answer, I exclaimed myself. "No matter what you're going to say, we are going to Mount Olympus. Anyway, you only have 5 minutes left, so it's now or never."

"Who do you think you are? I'm a praetor of Rome and--"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, let's go!" The woman bitterly swallowed her comment. Clearly, only a few people were daring disrespecting her. She however seemed to understand that the situation was forcing her to come with us. She knitted her eyebrows together and chose a pegasus.

"Let's go, Blackjack!" she said.

"Hey, I'm supposed to take Blackjack," I said. The woman glared at me so coldly that I decided to get on a bay pegasus.

Thalia stepped in. "Come on, Reyna, we won't be able to change their minds. Let's let them come with us."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Then, she shot for the sky. Killian and Adelaide had also chosen a pegasus and I hurried behind them. We had only two minutes left.

We flew over New York to reach the Empire State Building. The pegasi flew over the clouds and we could see a huge, gray storm cloud roaring over the building. And we headed straight towards it. I couldn't help but feel a knot forming in my stomach. Had we taken the right decision? I had the feeling that we could really make a difference, even if the most respected demigods of the era were already in battle.

As we entered the cloud, a shiver vent down the back of my neck. I could feel the tension deep inside me. Dark thoughts were whirling in my head. Hugo, the explosion, Lewis, the blood. Why were these images still haunting me? I forced myself to push back against these images and to erase them. We were the new generation of demigods. It was our job to save the world.

Right?


	45. Jason

I was trapped in a labyrinth, alone. The air became colder by the minute. I walked along the walls, trying to keep my back to it so I wouldn't get surprised from behind. I kept my sword held high, but every few minutes I had to lower my guard in order to push back up my glasses that were sliding down my sweat-beaded nose.

Everything was strangely quiet. The only sound that I could hear was the pounding of my own heart and the blood rushing through my veins. Sometimes, I could hear my friends calling for me, but they seemed so far away, I could almost be imagining them. Then, a scream tore through the silence. It was Piper, and she sounded scared, in pain, lost. I grew desperate. Every turn I took ended up being a dead-end. I was stuck and I couldn't get to my friends, who needed me.

"Jason..." a voice whispered behind me, sending shivers down my spine. This feminine voice was unmistakable: it was Ananke.

I turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. At every turn, I caught glimpse of her, hovering a few inches above the ground, her tall wings flapping lazily the air. After some time trying to get to her, I finally found her standing in the middle of a dead-end (again). This one had grass on the ground and vines growing on and through the bricks of the walls.

"Jason, the great Jason Grace," Ananke said delightfully. "I am so glad that you joined me."

Without thinking, I charged at her, my sword raised, screaming in rage. Ananke didn't move to dodge my attack or defend herself. Instead, a wall of vined erected itself between me and the goddess. I tried hacking at it with my sword, but it was no use. The vines were tough as metal.

"I'd stop doing that, if I were you," Ananke suggested. "You might break your sword."

"What do you want from me? Where are my friends? I need to help them!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, you see? That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Your loyalty. Aren't you tired of always having people relying on you? Always having to be at your best, never being allowed a single mistake, that must be exhausting."

"That's my job. I'm a demigod. I have to be a leader," I replied, like if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You are so used to that mindset, it became so normal to you. When, in fact, it's not healthy. You are allowed weaknesses, Jason. You are allowed to fail. And you are allowed to confide in others, sometimes. You don't have to do all of this yourself."

I had nothing else to answer. I didn't know where Ananke was going with that. However, I was starting to get conscious about how tired I was. Every anxious tension in my jaw, neck, shoulders, back, became apparent to me. I found myself wondering about the last time I didn't feel as tense.

"What if you weren't a demigod? What if you were living a normal life, a 9 to 5 job, without the gods. You still could be a leader. You still could change the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of young people. But you wouldn't have to be scared of their lives. Their survival wouldn't be in your hands. How relaxing, no?"

"But I don't want a 9 to 5 job. I already change the life of hundreds of kids... I manage quests..." I said this without much conviction. The idea of a steady job with a predetermined schedule was appealing. No more waking up in the middle of the night for an emergency. No more working around the clock. No more deaths of my conscience.

"Deaths, yes," said Ananke, as if she could read my mind. "Deaths caused by careless gods. And I'm including myself in the lot, don't get me wrong. I am as guilty as all of them. But you can do something about it. Renounce the gods, destroy them, and be free."

"I can't do that, you know it. You know that I'll never accept it, and neither will my friends."

"Ah, there it is again. Loyalty. Loyalty, given blindly to gods who have betrayed you all your life. you were tricked, your memory was wiped, and you are still doubting every day, I know it."

"But I'm not the only one who has been tricked by the gods. Why do I matter more than all of the others?" I asked

"Jason, Jason... Stop being altruistic for a minute. Stop thinking about your friends. It feels good, doesn't it? Well, the fact that you are one in a million tricked by the gods doesn't bother you? You are one too many. The fact is that the gods don't care about you. Start acting accordingly."

"You are trying to trick me."

"No, I'm only telling you the truth. Also, do I have to remind you that gods ruin the life of innocent mortals? Let's talk about--"

"Don't," I interrupted. I knew what she was about to say. But Ananke didn't stop.

"--your mother. Wrecked by the gods. Manipulated into giving you up. If it hadn't been for the gods, she wouldn't have turned to destructive behaviour, that later lead to her death. How unfair is that? Jason, you care so much about your friends and family. Why do you have to protect both offender and offended?"

I was fuming. The vines wall had receded, so I lunged forward, faster than lighting. Again, the vines stopped me, this time wrapping themselves around me and squeezing harder and harder. The pressure on my wrist made me drop my sword.

"You are tougher than I thought," Ananke laughed, sarcastic. "But you will come around. What about I leave you here a few minutes, no? Soon enough you will give me your answer."

Ananke vanished in smoke. I was indeed left alone, in total silence. My mind was overheating. I was fighting against Ananke's poisonous insinuations. I was trying to convince myself that she was wrong, but she had successfully woken up dark thoughts. What would have my life looked like if it weren't for the gods? I would have a normal life, I could commit fully to Piper. The painful tension in my shoulders would vanish, I'd have nightmares only after eating to much right before bed, instead of every night.

I was so caught in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that the vines were releasing me, so I fell to the ground. I was on my hands and knees in thick grass, and for a second I wanted to lie there and forget all my problems. But I knew better. Instead, I picked up my sword and got to my feet. I had to find my friends.


	46. Leo

Breathe in, breathe out.

I had to convince myself that everything was going to be okay. The labyrinth's walls were burning around me and I had no control over it. Flames were flowing on the walls which looked ready to crumble.

You're immune against fire. Everything's going to be alright.

But I had no news from my friends. Was the labyrinth a fiery hell where they were? I was terrorized just thinking about Calypso or Jason, or Piper surrounded by the flames. I was so scared I couldn't think clearly. I had to find something to do. A machine could help me take down a wall and find my friends. Maybe.

Fumbling in my belt, I ran full speed in between the flaming walls to find a way out. Every turn brought me to another dead end.

"If at least Ananke could show herself, I could sass my way out of this," I thought.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. Then a terrible scream. Distant. Mom? It couldn't be possible. No, it had to be somebody else. But the screaming wasn't stopping. I knew this voice. In deep, repressed memories, in my nightmares, I always heard it. I stopped in my tracks.

"Leo, get out of here, save yourself!"

Hearing these words, I was back again at my house on fire. I was again the terrified little boy I once was. The heat around me burned my lungs and evaporated instantly the tears that I couldn't keep from streaming down my face. My mother was screaming. And I couldn't help her. I had to come back to my senses, this couldn't be possible. But I couldn't start running again without finding the source of the voice first. I had to try, desperately, to save the one that couldn't be saved so many years ago.

My hands were still actively working towards creating a sphere, like one of Archimedes's. Through the years, I had managed to crack their code and with the right pieced, I could now build smaller, simpler models. The little sphere completed, I managed to throw a first projectile, which destroyed the wall in front of me. I jumped over the rubble, flames still roaring around me.

I found myself in a circular room, breathing heavily, My brain was still fixed on one objective: finding my mother and saving her from the flames.

The room was white and cold. Moving forward, I found only rubbles. The flames had been extinguished.

"Welcome, home, Leo Valdez."

Ananke's voice resonated in my skull. Still out of breath, I crumbled to the ground. I recognized the ashed in front of me. Those were the remainings of my childhood house. Tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

"Well, your whole life is a joke."

"Thanks," I said, frustration rising inside me. Ananke had shown me my biggest childhood trauma. The one I had always tried to hide with my sense of humour. Cruelly, she had made me relive my mother's death. This wound that had healed over the years had been cut open, rawer than ever. And I was naive enough t think that one could heal from such pain. Guess I was wrong, the sufferings were always hidden somewhere, deep inside.

"I mean, your life is a joke in the eyes of the gods."

I stayed silent. What I had just been through had tired and humiliated me. How could I still react to my childhood trauma like, well... a child? Camp Half-Blood needed to hire a therapist. I tried to reply.

"It was Gaia's fault, and we sent her back to sleep.

"And Tia Calida could have helped you. Hera didn't make a single move to help your mother."

I sighed. Hera really had always been a bitch. I could give that much to Ananke. But Ananke couldn't pretend at being better than Hera.

"You think you're so clever," I said. "But are you better than the gods? Hera kidnapped Percy and Jason. You kidnapped dozens of demigods and Percy and Annabeth's children. Gaia killed me and you killed Lewis."

"It was necessary."

"NO DEATH IS NECESSARY!" I cried. Rage started to boil inside me. How could this goddess be the solution? I ran to her with my sphere, throwing one projectile after the other, which she dodges easily. I started throwing flames but they didn't seem to reach her. In spite of all my efforts to hurt her, to make her feel only a fraction of what I was enduring, she wasn't affected by my attacks.

"Leo, I know I hurt you, but use this rage against the gods, to destroy them."

"But if we destroy the gods we're no better than them."

"The gods had too much power for too long. Sometimes you have to take down the system to build up a new one."

I lowered my gaze. Was she right or was she playing with my mind? At this point, I couldn't find any new argument. But I couldn't accept it. The inevitable had to be avoided.

"I can't. It's not my decision. I'll continue to fight for what's right, and fighting for a monster like you is not right. You'll have to face me," I attempted with confidence, brandishing my Archimedes sphere.

"Then you leave me no choice. If you hate me enough then maybe you will decide to destroy me along with the other gods. Because one won't come without the other. Good luck." She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, soon replaced by three giant shadows. I tried to see what Ananke had left as a parting gift.

When the clouds had dissipated a bit, I understood that I was facing three tall cyclops. Of course. The three cyclops who were abducted by Jason and Piper the first time I had to fight alone. Ananke had a cruel sense of humour. She knew exactly how to hurt people.

I had to find a way to contact someone. I didn't know how to communicate with Calypso, but I had a brilliant idea. With the Archimedes sphere, I could send a message in morse code to Annabeth. With her cell phone, she had chances to see it. I typed quickly.

...././.-../.--.//--..--//-.--/---/..-//---/-.-//..--..// -./---/-//--/.

Annabeth was the only one who could possibly outsmart Ananke and get us out of the labyrinth. In the meantime, I just had to stay alive.


	47. Killian

I had never flown on a pegasus before. I loved the sensation. It was fast, scary, but at the same time, you felt safe in between the pegasus’s powerful wings. In a few minutes only, we were on Mount Olympus. The pegasi left my friends and me in what looked like a public square. Except that the square was deserted and badly beaten up. The floor was uneven, the columns and benches that surrounded the square had crumbled to the ground and a fountain was spilling dirty water everywhere.

"The agora..." Thalia whispered in disbelief, looking at the desolation. "What happened here?"

The earth shook. We heard a low rumbling noise from somewhere at the foot of a hill. There was an Ancient Greek theatre in the distance and the stands were filled with an unmoving crowd. We couldn’t see the stage from where we were, but the noise seemed to be coming from there. We glanced at each other and headed towards the source of the noise.

Once we arrived at the entrance of the theatre, I noticed that the gate was blocked by what looked like a concrete wall. There was only a small opening where the wall was broken. It was possible to enter the theatre one at a time by crawling under the concrete wall and through the main gate.

"There must be an easier way to get in," Reyna said, already turning to find another entrance.

"There is none," replied Thalia. "I know this place. This is the only entrance."

"Alright, I’ll go first, then Thalia you follow me," Reyna said, then turned to me, Delilah and Adelaide. "You kids stay here."

There was no bargaining possible. Thalia and Reyna crouched one after the other and disappeared in the theatre. I turned to my friends. They already had a determined look on their face.

"We’re going in," I said. "We have a role to play in this, I know it."

The two girls nodded. I let them go first. When it was my turn to go in, I crouched and tried to see what was on the other side. I couldn’t see anything, so I crawled farther. The air was getting colder and colder. The smell… It was familiar.

I found myself lying on cool patchy grass. The lights were dimmed and the place was cozy, despite the cold. I stood up. I knew where this was. It was the main circus tent in which I had spent most of my life.

"Delilah? Adelaide?" I called. But I was alone. Somehow I had been separated from my friends. There was something wrong in the air, like if it were glowing with magic and raw power.

I walked around the tent. It was empty and the silence was sending chills down my spine. The wind was howling outside. I headed to the exit, but a noise made me turn.

"Killian."

I turned around and let out a sob.

"Lewis?"

I ran towards him. Right when I was about to touch him, Lewis vanished in smoke. I looked around frantically, but He was nowhere.

"I hate you, Killian," I heard Lewis whisper.

I was out of breath. Panic was tightening my chest, making every intake of air a battle of its own. I couldn’t think clearly. All I could picture in my mind was a dead Lewis, repeating over and over again I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I was in physical pain and tears started streaming down my face.

"Killian."

This time the voice was softer, deep and feminine. The voice calmed me, allowed me to breathe more freely, but the panic was still there, like a voice inside me screaming that it was time to leave this place. I noticed that there was a tall, beautiful woman seated in the stands. She had wings taller than she was, and a long staff.

"I have been waiting for you," the woman continued. "You know who I am. My name is Ananke, goddess of the inevitable, among other things."

"Help me," I breathed.

"You are in luck, child. That’s what I’m here for. I’m here to help you and help all your friends. All humankind. There is only one thing you have to do. Consider it as payment for my gift."

"Anything! What do you want?"

"You have to renounce the gods. Say the words and they are gone. And you are free at last."

I was baffled. Was this woman asking me to kill the gods?

"I don’t understand," I said. "I cannot kill the gods! They… They are family, they give gifts, they helped many people I know."

"Is this what you believe, or is this what you were taught to believe? Deep down, you know that I am right. Not some has-been demigods that you met just a few days ago."

"I..." There was nothing to reply. I was confused.

"Why are you here, young Killian. You are here to save people you don’t even know. I have been watching you for a long time, you always want to be a hero. But you don’t have to risk your life to be one. Where you worked in a circus, you were the hero of so many young children. You made magic. You have a gift. You can help people with it, Killian, and this doesn’t have to take a toll on your life expectancy."

"But… The gods… They put us on the right path, they talked to my friends and I. It was thanks to them that we could find each other and find a home at Camp Half-Blood."

"You have a point. It is true, they put you on the right path. Actually, I put you on the right path. It was me all along, trying to make this exact moment happen."

"You manipulated us?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, because that’s what a god does. Me, your father, any god. You are toys to us. You are meaningless. Look at Lewis. He died and no god tried to protect him. Now he is sentenced to roaming the Fields of Asphodel for eternity. Do you know what the Fields of Asphodel are, Killian?"

"N...No?"

"They are a place in the Underworld where ordinary souls, nor good, nor bad, roam for eternity. They don’t suffer, they don’t rest for eternity. They just… walk, in oblivion, losing themselves little by little, until they forget who there are. Right now, Lewis is still very aware of everything and is cursing you every minute. Is this how you want him to spend his afterlife? Hating you until he forgets why he was resentful in the first place?"

"That’s horrible! No, it can’t be!"

"But it is very real. So, if you want to save him this pain, you have to destroy the gods. If the gods die, the Underworld disappears."

"But where will Lewis go?"

"He is dead Killian, there is no bringing him back. He will just… vanish. As all dead people do. They will live on in your memories and in the hearts of people who knew him. And he will rest at last."

I stayed silent. I was contemplating the situation. Somehow, I had the impression that I was being tricked.

"How can I know you’re not lying?" I asked.

"You will have to take my word for it. If you refuse, you will suffer the consequences. You will fight for a cause that you don’t understand. You will see your friends die and suffer. You will witness injustices. You will see James die just like Lewis died, alone, unable to understand what got him."

"How do you know?" I was starting to grow more and more suspicious. I started to back up towards the exit of the tent. "How can you say such things?"

"Killian, I am the goddess of the inevitable. I know that this will happen. And you, too. Think about my offer, and we’ll be in touch."

I didn’t see what happened next. Was Ananke running behind me, I couldn’t tell. All I knew is that I was running full speed to the exit of the tent. I had to get out of here and far away from that crazy goddess.


	48. Thalia & Reyna

As soon as we arrived at Mount Olympus, Reyna and I ran to battle. Or what looked to us like a battle. Going through the door, we found ourselves both in a spacious white room surrounded by equally white walls raised to the sky. I walked around, intrigued. What did this room mean? We had to find a way to get out to reach our friends.

Suddenly, a silhouette appeared, tall and regal. With her terrible eyes, she observed us a few seconds then vanished.

"What was that?" Reyna asked, as troubled as I was.

"I have no idea. Maybe… It looked like Ananke."

"Then she wasn’t waiting for us. We are one step ahead of her."

As soon as Reyna spoke those words, an army of hellhounds invaded the space in front of me. I touched immediately my bracelet with the same gesture I had made a thousand times to deploy Aegis. The dogs backed up, growling. They looked like they were resenting me the most. Reyna, therefore, managed to reach the pack from behind and made a few of the disappear a few.

As soon as the dogs realized that they were being attacked from behind, they charged. With my spear, I touched the first one who had thrown itself at me. A second one attacked my leg, but I managed to push him away with my shield. On her side, Reyna wasn’t doing badly herself. She had managed to wound many dogs and make a few of them vanish. This girl would always fascinate me with her fighting abilities.

After several minutes of balancing my spear right and left, I realized that we had eliminated all the hellhounds. As we caught our breath, the silhouette came back. She glanced at us more confidently than before. She then started to talk and her voice rang in my head.

"Did you like my little gift, Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus?"

I winced. I remember very well my first clash with hellhounds, the one where I died and was turned into a pine tree.

"Yeah, very funny," I replied.

"Do you remember that time when Hades sent so many monsters against you because he was mad at your father? That time you had to sacrifice yourself for your friends?"

"I remember so well that I decided to join Artemis so I wouldn’t have to be the centre of the Great Prophecy anymore."

"Yeah, you’re right," Ananke seemed to hesitate. I knew that she wanted to hurt me. And still, I had accepted long ago that gods were controlling my life. I had never tried to separate myself from this. With accepting to become a Hunter, I had also to accept to fight to the death. Often to undo the gods’ mistakes.

Ananke studies me for a few more seconds. Then, a flame ignited in her eyes and she smiled.

"Oh, I know what you’re thinking about. You think that you chose to fight. But instead, you chose to flee. You fled from Luke’s betrayal."

"I..." She had touched a cord. It was true, I had fled. I didn’t want to be the one to decide to destroy Luke. I had loved him and I had difficulty coming back from his betrayal. However, if Luke had taught me something, it was that destroying the gods wasn’t the solution.

Ananke continued with an even colder tone. "That’s where you’re wrong. The gods can never be changed. They haven’t changed in 3000 years. The solution is to destroy them. Without causing deaths, without hurting mortals or even demigods."

I had no way to answer her in a satisfactory manner because deep down, I knew that she was probably right. But I couldn’t get myself to become like Luke. I couldn’t let myself be submerged by my resentment towards the gods. I threw a lightning bolt towards Ananke. She rapidly dissolved and reappeared behind me. I could see on her face that she was satisfied with our conversation and she turned to face Reyna. She addressed the goddess first.

"I already know what you’re going to tell me. ‘Look at the sad childhood you had. Your father went mad and you killed him. Where was Bellona? Then you spent a part of your life on Circe’s island, who failed to protect you. Since you became Praetor, you give all you energy away to keep demigods alive.’ Even if you tell me all this, I accept it. I know what I chose to do and I decided to learn from my difficult childhood."

Ananke was taken aback. She was imagining that she could play with Reyna just as she had played with me. But Reyna was acting like a true Roman soldier. Her head held high and clear, she didn’t allow her emotions to take over her duties. I knew where Jason had picked on certain habits.

Ananke looked hurt and she vanished again. She left us alone in this spacious room. Quickly I thought that we had won maybe not the war, but at least a battle. But Ananke spoke to me one last time. Her voice rang in my head.

"You are currently fighting for a fairer world for your family and loved ones, but--"

"Don’t say it, don’t say it."

"When they are dead, Thalia, what will you do?"

These last words let me without breath. I didn’t know how, but Ananke clearly could read my mind. She had pinpointed my greatest fear. Reyna approached me and I felt a wave of hope and courage. Bellona’s powers.

"We need to get out of here," she said.

Ananke might have shaken me, but her plan had a few blind spots. Unable to predict our arrival, she didn’t have the time to prepare a way to slow us down. We therefore could find a solution to break down the walls freely. Without thinking it through, I blew down a wall with a lightning bolt, which crumbled upon impact. The path was now cleared.

I quickly realized that we were in a labyrinth when I came out of the room. We walked along a corridor, always alert and in fighting position in order to be ready for anything.

"Are you okay?" I asked Reyna timidly. I knew that she had just revealed all her secrets to me, even the more troubling parts of her past. I had a lot of respect for Reyna and her work, even though I didn’t know her so well.

"Yeah. I learned to live with my demons." I didn’t reply. "You don’t think she may be right?"

"I don’t know," I answered. "She was convincing."

Our conversation was cut short when we arrived in a new room where someone was fighting. Hazel was fending off a Basilisk. With her long sword, she successfully sent it away in a cloud of golden dust. She was covered by the dust as if she had already killed many monsters.

We ran to her side.

"What are you guys doing here!" Hazel exclaimed when she saw us. She had so little energy left that she leaned on me with all her weight.

"We came to help you," said Reyna. "I’m always here to save your asses."

"Where are the others?"

"We were separated, Hazel replied."

Suddenly, a large eagle flew over us. We all had the reflex to ready our weapons. The giant bird changed before our eyes into Frank. Seeing him, Hazel ran into his open arms.

"How did you manage to reach me?"

"I think Ananke’s losing power. I could get a little rest and I used it to run away from her. It seems that there are a few blind spots in her plan."

We looked at each other, uncomfortable. Ananke had hurt us all deeply with her words. But we had to show her that we were confident. From a common agreement, we decided to continue looking for the others. Four people maybe had a chance against the goddess of the inevitable.


	49. Piper

The walls were made of ice and I felt the cold freezing me to the bone. The cold made me numb and I had difficulty folding my fingers. I wasn't used to such temperatures since I spent most of my time in New Rome or Los Angeles. The last time that I had been that cold was many years ago. My memories were hazy. If only I could remember when and where I felt like this...

Suddenly, my memories came crashing back in my head. The last time I had felt this kind of cold was when I was on the Argo II. When Khione had attacked us. But it was impossible for the goddess to be here right now. All the divinities were seated in the theatre with an empty look. Khione surely was among the crowd.

I had to move now. If not, I was in danger of falling into hypothermia. But what was Ananke trying to make me realize? It was strange, not having any monster to fight. I only needed to fight against the cold, numbing me more and more. My legs were becoming heavy.

Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. It made me shiver even more.

"My dear Piper, do you enjoy the temperature?"

"What do you want? Why the ice?"

"Simply to remind you of the good old days. Do you remember Khione? That battle, that you had to lead alone?"

I tried to hide my worrisome look and my chattering teeth.

"Yeah, what about it," I replied dryly.

"I only wanted to remind you of the gods' cruelty." She let the silence settle between us. She studied me as my whole body shivered. "What's great with the cold is that it's contrary to any emotion. Your strength comes from your control over your emotions. But these are completely annihilated by the ice," she continued. "Khione was a perfect adversary for you. Such a shame that you vanquished her so long ago. But you could get your revenge once and for all id you decided to renounce the gods."

"I don't care about that little goddess anymore. She, on the contrary, proved to me that I could get along just fine by myself, that I was strong enough by myself to win in a fight against her. "

"So you wouldn't mind if something were to happen to Jason since you're doing so well by yourself?"

Terror washed over me. She couldn't hurt Jason. Ananke had to see my expression change because she burst out laughing. Her laugh terrified me even more.

"What did you do to him?" I asked.

As soon as my question was asked, an image appeared in front of me. Jason was fighting tall plants that were attacking him with their thorns and roots. My heart slowed down to reach an almost normal beating pattern. Jason was alive. But he was maybe in danger. I wouldn't let him sacrifice himself for us. I knew that he was capable of doing that.

Ananke continued. "Piper, why do you care so much for him anyway? Your relationship is built on a lie. The lie of a crooked goddess. Jason betrayed you and you know it very well."

"That's where you're wrong. Yes, our relationship is based on a lie, yes, Jason made mistakes. But we worked on what we have and he's the best man that I know. Some weeks ago, you could have hurt me with that comment, but today I can assure you with confidence that our relationship has never been stronger."

Ananka looked troubled. I knew that she had tried to hurt me and shake my beliefs. But right now, I knew that what I had just said was true and that I believed it more than anything. This thought warmed me somewhat. I could see that Ananke was lost for words.

"I don't think I need you anymore today, Piper Mclean," she exclaimed with a broken voice. "When you'll be dead, what will Chiron say to your father?"

"Do not bring my father into this. He has already been used once as bait, that was once time too many. My father is happy living his life in ignorance."

Rage was raising inside me. A wave of heat spread in my body. I was gaining back the use of my fingers.

As Ananke searched for something to retort, I made a completely impulsive gesture. CArried away by my emotions, I lunged at her, my dagger raised and dug it deep inside one of her feet. A terrible scream made my eardrums ring painfully. Ananke disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the ice walls around me crumbled at the same moment. I had to find Jason.

I ran through the corridors of the labyrinth at top speed. I had recovered the usage of my limbs and the cold wasn't affecting me anymore. I was following my feelings. I tried to locate Jason by what my heart was telling me. It's cheesy, yes, but being a child of Aphrodite, it makes sense. I took one last left turn and I fell face to face with no other than Jason Grace. I was surprised for a split second, then I jumped into his arms. Jason kissed me tenderly.

"I thought that you were caught by giant plants! Ananke made me believe that you were in danger!" My voice surely sounded way higher than the usual.

"Don't worry, Pipes, I managed to get out. What happened to you?"

"I stabbed Ananke in the foot and ran away." Jason's eyes rounded.

"Stabbed Ananke? The one who wants to destroy the gods?" Then he burst out laughing. His laugh soothed me. He reminded me that it was still possible to laugh and that he was okay. I smiled and regained composure.

"We have to help the others. What about a little fly?"

Jason took me in his arms and took off over the labyrinth. Some parts of it were hidden by smoke or different structures keeping us from seeing the corridors under us. After a few minutes, we located a group of four people fighting a cyclops. We started descending right when a lightning bolt hit the cyclops in the head. It fell down and vanished in a cloud of dust.

Landing, we found ourselves with Hazel, Frank, Reyna and Thalia. Jason and Thalia hugged, happy to reunite.

"You, arghh! I have difficulty making rational decisions since Chiron told me... nevermind," said Thalia, emotional, talking to Jason.

He furrowed his brow and answered. "No, tell me. What is it?"

"Chiron reminded me lately that... that I'm immortal and that I'll eventually see all of you die. And Jason, I was really sure of my decision when I made it, but that was before knowing that you were alive and... I'm having second thoughts..." She stopped abruptly, realizing that we were all listening to her. Thalia cleared her throat and continued as if she hadn't just doubter her pledge of allegiance to Artemis. "Okay, anyway, now is not the time. Let's get going, we need to find the kids."

"The kids?" Hazel shouted.

"We had no choice," Reyna replied.

"And you lost them?" Frank asked, as shocked as Hazel.

"Okay, that wasn't our goal. Let's go, it serves nothing to stay here," Thalia said. She seemed to have gathered herself back up and lead the way.


	50. Rachel

I was starting to get tired. As I followed the corridors of the labyrinth, smooth black, bare and ancient-looking, I was constantly attacked mentally by old prophecies I had said in the past. In my head, my own voice was competing with dozens of former oracles from around the world. By concentrating, I could block most of the noise inside my mind, but I was starting to lose concentration and hope.

I was walking slower and slower. Where was I going? I had been separated from the others as soon as the walls had raised around us. I had been wandering in the labyrinth for several minutes now, maybe hours, fighting my inner voices. Then, all of a sudden, all the voices stopped talking at once. I was left alone in an eerie silence. I could hear the wind howl far up the labyrinth's wall. I enjoyed the calm for a few seconds before my fighting instincts kicked in.

I started feeling a pain in my chest as if something was forming inside my lungs. I started coughing, at first softly, then so hard that I was starting to get nauseous. Then, a cloud of smoke spilled out from my mouth, just as if I were speaking a prophecy, except this smoke was dark and dangerous-looking. Gasping for air and still in pain, I saw the cloud of smoke starting to take form in front of me. The form grew and I could make out the shape of a winged woman. Ananke.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I am so glad to meet you at last. I hear so much about you. Ossian told me how strong you were. You have told us valuable information, I must thank you for that."

"What do you want?" I asked sharply.

"Well, that's not a very polite way to thank someone who compliments you," said Ananke, faking to be hurt. "Let's get right in then! Renounce the gods."

"What?"

"You heard me. I already made my little speech to almost all of your friends. I still have to get to some of them and I'm running out of time. Let's get away with it quickly."

"I won't renounce the gods, that's ridiculous!"

Ananke sighed dramatically. "Well, I guess I'll have to convince you, too. Strange, I thought you were going to be the more reasonable of them all. Being a mortal and all. Knowing your history, also. Being thrown into situations a mortal shouldn't be in. Becoming an oracle and having your life taken away from you..."

"I'm going to stop you right there," I said. "I chose all these things. I decided to tag along with Percy. It was my decision to become an oracle."

Ananke seemed to hesitate. "But you had so much potential! You are an artist, you could have become successful. You could have studied."

"But I am successful. I am good at prophecies. It's not because I settled at such a young age that I made a mistake. I found a family at Camp Half-Blood. And I can still develop my art. That's all I do, really."

"Right, but don't you agree that you are missing on opportunities? How do you know that having had more time to explore, you would have found something you are passionate about? Staying a maiden for all your life, isn't that a pity for a woman as beautiful as you?"

"Okay, that's deeply offensive," I burst out. "You can't go around saying that a woman's worth is determined by her relationship status. I don't have to have a lover to feel validated by myself or by others. How old are you to believe that?"

"I never said that. You are the one bringing up worth and validation."

I sighed, exasperated. It was true, I had thought about having to stay a maiden for all my life, or at least for as long as I was an oracle. For love is blinding. But truth be told, I was doing fine on my own. Sure, sometimes I felt lonely, but that was because I spent most of my time in my attic, painting. I just had to get fresh air and talk with campers to feel like myself again. I wasn't in denial. I really didn't mind being on my own.

"I can't destroy the gods. I am their messenger. I have a bond with them. Especially Apollo. They have never wronged me."

"Then if you don't do it for yourself, do it for your friends. They have been manipulated all their life. They saw people die from a young age because of the gods."

And right then, it hit me. Once again, you will side with the oppressor. It couldn't be. Did this mean that we had been wrong all along? That when we chose to defend the gods, we had really decided to get on evil's side? Did my friends cause more deaths by saving the gods? Surely I was mistaken. There had to be another meaning. What if my friends had all been convinced by Ananke? Then they would be siding with the oppressor. But again? They had been betrayed in the past, that must be the true interpretation of that line.

Ananke smiled. "I see that the prophecy is still unclear for you. You'll see, it'll come true, as all prophecies do."

We stared at each other for a while. Her sole presence made me uncomfortable. It was as if she had a list of all my insecurities and was checking them all out, one after the other.

"Love and loyalty," she continued. "These are powerful things. Love blinds, yes, but so does loyalty. They are very similar things, really. Loyalty makes you lose your critical sense. It keeps you from thinking clearly. You would do anything for someone you love, but so would you for someone you are loyal to. Why did you become an oracle? To stay near Percy Jackson."

"That's not true."

"Don't lie, child. Your first kiss. How quickly your hopes were crushed. So you found another way. You stayed where he stayed. And you put all your trust in him. You became loyal to him. See? Love and Loyalty are intertwined."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I said, terrified.

Ananke smiled at me, pitiful. Then she turned into an almost corporeal cloud of smoke. She went right through me, cutting my breath. I wheezed and coughed. When I turned around, somewhat dazed, she was nowhere to be seen.

I had to get to the others, quick. I had to tell them about the prophecy and my conversation with Ananke.


	51. Adelaide

Crossing the portal, I had lost sight of Killian and Delilah. At least, I still had Enodia by my side. She stayed glued to my hip, her nose in my hand. I was once again alone with her. I had always believed that I was better off alone, but as I was going deeper and deeper into the thick fog, I realized how much I wished to feel the presence of my new friends.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow down my heartbeat. I had always managed on my own. I had learned a few spells during my short stay in Hecate’s cabin, I could do fine on my own. As we moved forward slowly, the fog was thickening around us.

Suddenly, I heard a faint sob. I moved closer to find the source of the noise and found myself in a room that I knew well. I was in the kitchen of my small Berlin apartment. Around the table, my adoptive parents were crying. I could see all the pain in their eyes. I backed up, horrified. Certainly, this pain could not be real. These parents didn’t really like me, I wasn’t their true daughter. I had spent most of my childhood from foster family to foster family and no one had wanted to keep me. Why was it any different with this family? I was certain that this scene was a trick in the Mist. Ananke was playing with my head and there was no other explanation. Still backing up, trying to get out, I bumped into something.

I turned around and found myself to be face to face with Ananke, twice as tall as me, stretching her wings at full capacity. I swallowed my scream.

"How are you still running?" she asked, her voice full of reproach.

"I’m not running, I’m leaving them alone. You are making up this vision! None of this is real!" I retorted, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"Adelaide, this vision is only an open window on the real world. I didn’t play any trick, there is no magic involved. As a daughter of Hecate, you should be feeling this. These parents are genuinely sad to have lost you."

I tried to detect magic around the vision. But I couldn’t. Ananke was right, what I was seeing was true. My adoptive parents were devastated by my running away. I couldn’t understand.

As if she could read my mind, Ananke continued. "You failed to see that they really loved you since every time someone starts to like you, you flee. You avoid constantly. You try to push people away because you are scared to disappoint them later. Because you lack confidence. Hecate abandoned you to a miserable and unstable life. You became anxious and you detached yourself from other people. But today, I offer you an end to your running away. You can tell your parents where you are. And you can keep the friends you made along the way."

I didn’t know what to answer. The goddess’s words had pierced me like knives. It was so difficult to accept what you had been trying to bury for so many years. As I thought about what to say, Ananke fell on her knees, holding her head with both hands. After a few seconds, she got back up, angry.

"Your friends aren’t making my life easy. But I will crush them, in the end. They will renounce the gods. Just like you."

Hearing those words, I understood that everyone was fighting the goddess at the same time. I suddenly had the feeling that I had to resist this desire to give up everything, too. I never had had this feeling of wanting to support other people. Normally, no one owed me and I didn’t owe anyone. But the last weeks had changed me and I had to fight.

I shouted a random spell, which created an enormous hole under Ananke’s feet, in which she disappeared immediately. I looked at Enodia, stunned.

"Well, that worked better than I expected..."

As soon as the words had left my lips, a tall shadow formed over my head.. Ananke was back, angrier than before. Landing in front of me in all her splendour she screamed.

"You thought you could get rid of me that quickly? If you want to fight, you can. But it won’t be against me." She paused to let me think about all the monsters that she could send after me. But what she did next totally destabilized me.

She turned to Enodia. "Enodia, attack."

I looked at my dog, begging. Surely Enodia couldn’t attack me. She was sent by Hecate to protect me. But I realized that Ananke had managed to abduct Hecate. Therefore she must have the power to control my dog. I stayed frozen on the spot as I saw Enodia fight against the order she was given.

After a few seconds, she however turned to me, her jaw opened and foaming. I could read in her eyes a hatred that I had never seen in her.

"Enodia, you can’t turn against me, no after everything we went through together!" I tried to convince her in a whimpering tone. But my dog wasn’t listening and she threw herself at me.

I couldn’t hurt her, therefore I kept my blade in my belt and tried to push back Enodia with my backpack. Throwing a few spells, I managed to slow her down by making walls appear and by glueing her paws to the ground.

"Make her stop! I can’t hurt her!" I shouted towards Ananke. But she was only observing me with a cold smile at the corner of her lips.

"Oh, you won’t like what’s coming!" Pronouncing these words, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I was left alone fighting my dog gone rogue. It was at that moment that I heard footsteps coming towards me at a good pace. Someone was coming, running. I only hoped that it was one of my friends.

"No, she didn’t abandon me!" I heard a pleading voice say. It was Delilah’s.

As I was still trying to push back Enodia, who was fighting ever more ferociously, Delilah arrived at my side. Tears were streaming down her face. She looked at me with eyes opened wide and managed to speak between two sobs.

"She’s trying to make me believe that Hugo left by my fault and that I caused Lewis’s death. And that my mother abandoned me and let me live alone..."

She crumbled to the ground, catching her breath.

I had never seen Delilah in such a state of distress. I really wanted to help her, but I didn’t know how. I took my eyes off Enodia to catch Delilah’s gaze in an attempt to share a bit of courage with her. Enodia took advantage of this not to attack me, but to jump on Delilah who was on the ground and vulnerable.

I watched the scene with horror. Delilah hadn’t seen anything coming. I had no other choice but to unsheath my sword and place myself between my dog and my friend. Enodia jumped directly on the blade and tore her side open. She fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood. I saw instantly that all her hatred had vanished. She was not curled up, whimpering, as blood continued to ooze out of her wound.

I ran to Enodia, trying desperately to save her. In my bag, I had a few bandages. I applied pressure to the wound, but the blood was still flowing. The wound was too deep and serious. Enodia’s breathing was more and more laboured. She looked at me one last time and I understood that she was apologizing for not being able to resist Ananke’s command.

"Thank you Enodia, for everything. I won’t need protection anymore."

She expired and her last breath was lost in a cloud of golden smoke. I got up with difficulty and went to Delilah to take her in my arms. She continued to sob in the crook of my shoulder.

"I’m sorry, Adelaide. I’m so sorry."

"It’s okay, now we have each other to watch our backs. Let’s go find Killian, he might be in danger."


	52. Will

I had been separated from the others and I was disoriented. I kept an arrow on my bow, ready to fire at any moment and in any direction. All my senses were sharp and ready to detect any danger. At the same time, I tried to find any clue that could get me closer to my group.

After a few turns in the labyrinth, I found a corridor that was wider than the others. On each side, dead bodies covered with white sheets were lined up. I continued to move forward to reach a room where more cadavers were lined near the four walls. There had to be hundreds of them. A chill went down my spine, but I forced myself to stay focus. My medical instincts had kicked in and I got curious. I walked up to the closest body and lifter the sheet to reveal their face.

It was Lewis.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I hadn’t been able to save him. Because of me, there were kids grieving. I put the sheet back on Lewis’s face. I was too curious, so I lifter the sheet of a few other corpses. They weren’t people I knew very well, but I recognized most of them. They were all demigods, mostly Camp Half-Blood campers that I had tried to heal during battles or that I had found too late to save.

Despite my shame, I continued. I lifted sheet after sheet, every time my heart sinking as I recognized who it was. I noticed that at the centre of the room a body was prompted on a pedestal, as if this person was more important than the others, or as if it was the last person a medic had tended to and had not the time to line up with the others. I walked to the pedestal and lifter the sheet.

I gasped, in pain. It was Nico, his dark hair contrasting his paler than ever skin.

"No, no, no, no, no."

It couldn’t be possible. Nico wasn’t dead. I had seen him only minutes before, alive and breathing, in the theatre. Footsteps echoed behind me and I turned around to face Ananke who had just entered the room.

"What have you done to him," I said, menacing, my voice trembling with emotion.

"I don’t kill people, she replied."

"Where is he. This is not true, you are lying." I lifted my bow and aimed for Ananke’s heart.

"This is only a vision of what could be. At this time, Nico is still alive. I can’t promise you that he will make it, though. What you are seeing is what you fear the most."

I started to breathe more freely, but the weight wasn’t all lifted from my chest yet. Ananke was known for her lies and I couldn’t trust her. The only thing I was sure of was that I was completely at her mercy and that she was playing with me.

"Everybody you see here is a person that you failed to save. They are all dead because of the gods, or because the gods didn’t save them. What is the average age of the deceased here? Take a guess," Ananke asked me with her poison-sweet voice.

"I’m not playing."

"Fine!" She exclaimed dramatically. "I will tell you. They are fourteen, on average. All your life, you have seen young people die. Children, teenagers, unable to make it to their adult years."

Ananke and I were in an intense staring contest. I was more concentrated on keeping my aim true than listening to her poisonous words.

"I know what you are doing," I said. "You want to play with my head. You want to make me feel guilty, worthless, ashamed."

"Your words, not mine."

I stayed silent.

"Will Solace, what would you do without the gods. You could be a brilliant doctor, you could find a cure for rare diseases. You could save sick children, ease the pain of the elderly, bring a new life into the world. But instead, since a young age, you have seen so many souls leave this world."

"I’m a doctor, that’s my job. And we are demigods, we know that our lives are dangerous."

"Not like this, Will, not like this. Renounce the gods, destroy them, and live freely. There will be no more deaths."

"You know that I can’t agree. You know that my friends won’t agree. Now move aside, I have to find my boyfriend."

Ananke smiled but did not move.

"Aren’t you afraid of death, Will Solace?"

"No, it is foolish to be afraid of death," I said, trying to convince myself. "It is part of human life. We are born, we die. Also, my boyfriend is the son of the god of the Underworld, so..."

Ananke had a bitter smile. I could hear that she was trying to hide her anxiousness. She was losing her grasp on us. Without really thinking about the consequences of my act, I fired my arrow. The tension in my shoulders was released at last. The arrow flew right towards Ananke’s heart…

...and she raised a hand. The arrow stopped in mid-air. With a flick of her wrist, the arrow turned around and flew in my direction. I threw myself on the floor, dodging my own projectile by only a few inches.

"Be careful, foolish boy," Ananke said, her voice trembling with anger. "The next one will not miss."

Ananke flicked her wrist again. The ground started to shake. To my horror, all the bodies lined against the walls started to raise. The sheets fell off them and piled up around their ankles. Ananke laughed and vanished in a cloud of smoke. I was left alone facing an army of zombies moving towards me.

I notched arrow after arrow, firing at any zombie coming close to me. I quickly got overwhelmed. As I touched an attacker, it disappeared in a cloud of golden dust. I turned and saw Nico’s body moving towards me. He didn’t look like he wanted to hug me. Instead, he looked as if he wanted to choke me to death. I froze. I was surrounded and the circle of zombies was closing in on me.

I had no other choice. I aimed at Nico’s heart and fired. He crumbled in a pile of gold dust. I tried to fight back the tears and stay on top of my emotions. I had to because I was starting to lose this battle.


	53. Nico

The walls surrounding me weren’t really walls. They were not solid. I was surrounded by shadows and mist. I could have walked right through the walls, but something deep inside me told me that I shouldn’t do it. I had the intuition that if I got too close to the walls and touched them, they would swallow me up and I would get lost into oblivion.

The air was cold and damp. It smelled of dust and death. A chill went down my spine. I felt like I was back in the Underworld. Suddenly, I felt something graze the wrist of my hand holding my sword. I turned around and fell face to face with a ghost. But it wasn’t any ghost. It was Bianca’s.

I gasped. I hadn’t seen her in such a long time. I hadn’t been to the Underworld in so long, I didn’t have the occasion to talk to her. I realized just now how much I missed her. We stared at each other for a while, not saying anything.

"You’re so grown up," Bianca said, choking on her words. Bianca was still looking twelve, the age she was when she died.

"Bianca… I miss you."

I couldn’t say anything else. There was so much I wanted to tell her, so many things I wished to share with her. But it was impossible. Being a child of Hades, I had a strange relationship with death. The line between life and death was unclear. In fact, it was almost nonexistent for me. I could visit dead people all the time. It had come in handy during some quests, but it kept me from living healthily through the deaths of people I loved and cared about. This was the case with Bianca. My sister’s ghost started to fade. I tried to hold on to her, but all I could do was to grasp smoke and my hand went right through her. I was left alone in the dark.

When I was looking at Bianca, the configuration of the labyrinth had changed without me noticing. I was now disoriented. I wasn't left alone in the dark for long, though. I noticed that shape was forming inside one of the walls. This form detached itself from the cloud of mist and approached me. As it shook off the shadows on itself, I could see that the shape was in fact Ananke herself. She stopped when she was facing me and smiled warmly. If I didn’t know she was planning on killing thousands of gods, the smile might have reassured me a little.

"Nico di Angelo… At last, someone reasonable," she said, opening her arms. "You, of all people should know that death is inevitable, right?"

"Yes..." I replied, perplexed.

"Therefore I do not understand why you keep getting in my way! Gods are no different than humans. They are born, they live, they make mistakes, they die."

"Well, not exactly. Being a god means being immortal. If not, why would there be gods? What would be the point to confide in something that is not eternal? Also, death is reversible, in certain cases."

Ananke clearly wasn’t prepared to be confronted by someone willing to debate.

"Then what is the point of death. And what is the point of living if no one ever dies?" she asked, tentatively, trying to make me contradict myself.

"Is this really what you want? To figure out the meaning of life right here right now? People have tried for millennia and have found nothing."

"You’re right," Ananke said, composing herself again. "But you said that death is reversible. Don’t you think that’s wrong? If there is always the hope that someone might come back, doesn’t this keep you from healing?"

I stayed silent. On that point, she was right. I healed with difficulty from Bianca’s death. I knew other demigods, not children of Underworld-related deities, that couldn’t let go of their grief because they were always looking for a way to bring their loved ones back.

"I see that this is working you up," Ananke said, looking at me intently. "You know that this is wrong. And you know how to make it right again. You have to join me and renounce the gods."

Anger rose in me. How could she suggest such a thing? If I renounced the gods, that means that I could no longer see Bianca. My stomach dropped: this was exactly what Ananke was talking about. So I started to get angry at everyone. The gods, the monsters who killed Bianca, even my old childish grudge against Percy came back to me. But then, Bianca’s words came back to me. She had told me this so long ago, but I had never forgotten it.

Holding grudges is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive.

So I did. I calmed down and was ready to face Ananke once again.

"You are right, it is wrong. But there are good ways to deal with problems. We fix it. But I think that killing the gods is the solution."

"Let me remind you something about yourself. At this time, hadn’t it been for the Lotus Casino, you’d be dead by now. All your friends, you would have never met them. You are in the wrong era, don’t you feel out of place?"

I sighed, annoyed. "Look, I was ten when I went in and out of the Lotus Casino. I was so young, I could adapt to a new world. This is my home, this is my place. If I had stayed in that time, I could have died, killed by monsters in a matter of days. And if I had lived, I would never have been able to be myself. I met fantastic people and never in my life did I resent being pulled out of time."

Ananke shook with anger.

"You little, arrogant man. You and your friends are all the same. You think you are so strong, so brave, so righteous. But you are have been blinded by fame and glory for too long. You will see your mistakes and you will repent soon. I promise."

Ananke vanished and the walls around me changed again. I was caught in a whirlpool of clouds and smoke. For a moment, I thought that I was going to stay stuck like this forever. But soon enough, the walls formed back and I was left in a corridor, this time with physical, standing walls. In the distance, I could hear someone straining. There was the sound of a wire vibrating and a projectile whipping the air. I ran in the direction of the sound.

Soon enough, I found myself in a corridor with piles of white sheets on both sides. The trail of white cloth lead me to a spacious room crowded with huddled figures. They were all pacing slowly, but walking all in the same direction. A blond man was standing on a pedestal, surrounded by the figures. He was knocking arrows right and left, but was overwhelmed by the number of attackers.

"Will!" I shouted.

Will turned around. On his face, I could read despair, exhaustion and shock. My intervention distracted him, and this allowed a zombie to catch his ankle and destabilize them, making him lose his balance and almost fall in the sea of monsters.

I raised my hands and brought them down in a sweeping gesture. All the zombies instantly disappeared in an explosion of golden dust. Will fell from his pedestal. I rushed to him. His fall was slowed by the golden dust still in suspension in the air. I gave him my arms and pulled him up on his feet. He took me in his arms and held on tightly.

"Oh my gods you’re okay," he said, sighing in relief.

"And you? How" are you? You were the one fighting billions of zombies on your own," I retorted.

"Ananke, she..." Will took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. "She made me think you were dead. I had to kill a vision of you."

"Oh..."

We stayed in our embrace a few moments longer in order to let our hearts reach a more normal beating pattern. I could feel Will’s heart jumping out of his chest onto mine. I had my ear on his neck and I could hear the blood coursing through his veins. There was no doubt about it, he was very much alive.

"Alright," I said. "If we found each other, this means that we can find the others. Ananke is losing her control over us. It’s time to take advantage of her weakness."


	54. Annabeth

The labyrinth surrounding me was very intricate. Walls and columns shot out to the sky in complex spirals. Even if everything was made of stone, the walls seemed to be alive and moving. The architecture was impressive and I felt a pang in my stomach. If only I had the time, I could work on doing something similar. As soon as I had arrived at Mount Olympus, seeing the temples and houses destroyed had broken my heart. So many millennia of history destructed in such a short amount of time.

As I ran in the corridors, my heart pounding, my sword unsheathed, I could hear my steps resonating through the halls. The sound was reverberating everywhere, so if a monster was waiting for me in a turn, it would hear me approach way before it could actually see me. I thought that the same was true for me, therefore it reassured me a bit. Suddenly, I turned a corner and what I saw froze my blood in my veins. A gigantic spider was standing there, its back to me. I backed up hastily as panic washed over me.

I tried to calm down by taking deep breaths. Even after many years of witnessing horrors and death, spiders still terrified me. That was an Athena kid thing. I decided to run away, sometimes looking over my shoulder to see if the spider wasn’t following me. I was trying to convince myself that it was going to be okay, that I was close to Percy and my friends. I ran and took hallways at random, changing direction so many times that I lost my sense of direction. After a turn, I fell back on the spider, this time it was facing me. Either the labyrinth was rigged, or I had run in circles to come back to my original spot.

The spider hissed, it’s hundreds of eyes fixed on me, its razor-sharp pincers snapping in my direction angrily. I raised my sword, shaking. I started to back up as the spider came closer to me. I was desperately trying to find a way to get away.

"Annabeth Chase. Welcome. Let’s have a little chat." Ananke’s voice rang and bounced on the walls of the room, making it seem like her voice was coming from every direction at once.

"Now’s not the time," I said, angry to not be able to direct all my concentration on the spider.

"Oh no, on the contrary! I need this to prove my point. I’m sure you remember dear Arachne? She missed you very much."

Arachne snapped it’s pincers, clearly agreeing. I knew deep down that this was indeed Arachne and that I had to face her again, but I had wanted to push back the feeling. Now, I had no other choice than to face the truth.

"Arachne hates you because of your mother. Did you do anything to hurt her? Okay, you tricked her, but she already had a bias even before that. All this because of your mother. It’s a bit unfair, if you ask me, being hated from birth."

Arachne wasn’t moving, only making sure that I wouldn’t run away. For now. I needed to stay alert in case she decided to attack me suddenly.

"It’s part of being a demigod. It has some inconvenients," I replied.

"Some inconvenients?" Ananke laughed bitterly. "My poor girl! You are so smart, yet you are so naive. Your demigod lives are determined from the moment you take your first breath in this world. You already have a plethora of enemies. A short lifespan. And too little time to do the things that you love. Too little time to love in general, if you ask me."

My heart sank and my mind immediately went to Percy and our children.

"Where are Luke and Silena?" I asked vehemently.

"Oh, they are fine, look. I would never hurt such cute children without a reason."

On a wall, an image appeared. I had to take my eyes off Arachne to look at it, which sounded to me like a trap. Still, I saw from the corner of my eye that it was Luke and Silena on the image, so I decided to take all my attention over there. My two kids looked unhurt. They sat together among the crows of gods and captive demigods in the theatre. The looked scared, holding each other's hand. Besides them was Athena, my mother, their grandmother. She was looking at them tenderly, but without energy. Her head was bowed and she looked ready to fall asleep from exhaustion.

I was relieved. Somewhere at the back of my mind, something was screaming to me that this was all a trick, but I decided to trust Ananke on this one. I needed to have hope in something. I needed someone to get back to.

"Annabeth," Ananke continued, her sweet voice resounding in my ears. "You have such a lovely family. I am sure that you want to enjoy every moment with them. Imagine your children on their first quest. Getting hurt. Dying. All this because of petty gods."

"It’s our job as demigods," I replied without much conviction. It was true, though. When I was pregnant with Luke, I started having nightmares about my children getting hurt in quests. I knew that if something happened to them, it would kill me.

"You are a brilliant girl Annabeth. I know you know I’m right. You have studied architecture, you are well-read, you are brave and loyal. You need to use your potential for things that you like, not to save useless gods. You could use your skills to build a brighter future. You fight against injustice, right?"

At first, I didn’t answer. But Ananke asked again so I had to reply. "Yes, I’m trying to build a better world."

"There you go, good girl. You build a better world. But right now, the gods are set on destroying everything that you do. Look what they did with Mount Olympus. Look what happened in Notre-Dame in Paris. A whole cathedral almost lost to the flames."

"Notre-Dame, that was you?" I asked in disbelief

"It was bound to happen, you know that. Since some mysterious follower of mine engraved my name in stone, I became tied to the cathedral. I had to separate myself from the building in order to finish my plan, so I started a fire. And the mortals say it was a construction worker’s fault..."

"That’s horrible… I loved the Notre-Dame cathedral… Now I wonder if I’ll ever be able to see it again."

"You don’t have to think like this. Without the gods, you will have all the time in the world to work on building it back again. The fire happened many years ago and look, almost nothing was made. You can make a change in the world, Annabeth. Sustainable housing, buildings producing their own energy… Sky's the limit."

Then, I heard someone scream and strain. I recognized the voice instantly. Percy was in danger and I had to help him.

"Nice chat," I said to Ananke.

I raised my sword and slashed at the direction of Arachne. She sprang into action. I dodged the first attack from her pincers, which grazed my left arm. The razor-sharp pincers had cut my arm from shoulder to elbow and warm blood was trickling down from the wound. I lunged at one of her front legs, digging my sword deep into it. Arachne let out a pained hissing noise. I dodged another attack. I slipped under Arachne and dragged my sword under her belly, cutting it open. Arachne let out a cry of pain and vanished. my hair full of golden dust, blood and spider puss, I ran towards the direction of Percy, who was still screaming.

I caught sight of him. He was way up, standing at the edge of the wall. His back was to the precipice, which looked endless. Straight to Tartarus, I thought. He was fighting off an army of three big spiders. The arachnids forced him to back up, inexorably closer to the precipice.

I scanned my surroundings. The wall was made of uneven stones. I could climb up. Year of training on a climbing wall spilling lava had prepared me for any kind of dangerous rock-climbing. I strapped my sword to my back and lifter myself up the wall.

"Hey, creepy crawlers. Over here!" I screamed, once on top of the wall. The two spiders closest to me turned around. This allowed Percy to take care of the last spider. I whirled around, slicing spiders' legs right and left. One spider hurled itself at me, but I kicked it over the ledge of the wall and it fell several feet down and disappeared on impact. Thankfully, the spiders were way smaller than Arachne, so it was easier to fight off.

The second one was more ferocious. It snapped aggressively at me. It was already missing two legs but didn’t seem to be losing its energy. My injured left arm was starting to hurt more and more. I saw that Percy was in difficulty, so I got annoyed at the spider and dug my sword to the hilt into its body. It shook and vanished in a cloud of golden dust.

Percy was dangerously close to the edge now. One more step and he would fall. This stirred back painful memories. Percy managed to kill the spider, but lost its balance in the process. We locked eyes. As he stumbles backwards, I saw the horror in his gaze. Everything seemed to work in slow motion. I ran towards him, stretching my left arm to reach him. He was also trying to reach me, both arms forward, as in a plea.

"This is all because of the gods," Ananke said in my head.

Our fingers touched. We grabbed each other's wrists. I was lying on the edge of the wall, Percy dangling off my injured arm. I screamed out in pain. He was holding on for dear life. Under him, I couldn’t see the bottom of the precipice.

"Let go," Percy said. "I’ll be fine."

"Don’t be dumb, Seaweed Brain. I won’t let you go. Ever."

"I’ll get back to you. I promise."

"No, you won’t leave me. You once told me that you were never getting away from me again"

I gave Percy my other arm. I pulled him up with my right arm, helping him to hold on to the ledge. I put my arms under his arms and pulled with all my strength. I had saved him. We stood up, stared at each other for a few seconds, dumbfounded, then we crashed into each other's arms. We allowed ourselves to cry. This had brought up painful memories for both of us.

"Don’t scare me like that ever again, Percy Jackson," I whispered in his ear.

"Thank you for saving me," he replied, hugging me tighter.


	55. Percy

I was still holding Annabeth by the hand, but I knew that Ananke was only starting to torture us. Ananke seemed to have more power over the people who suffered the most in their lives. With Annabeth and me, she was served.

Since I arrived here, I had to fight the Minotaur (once again), an Empousa and a metal giant - a cruel reference to the automaton that had taken away Bianca di Angelo. That, plus flashbacks from my most traumatic experiences: losing my mother when I was twelve, losing Grover when I was thirteen, losing Annabeth during the winter of my 14th birthday, the deaths of Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Luke Castellan. Then reliving Tartarus.

These last battles had exhausted me terribly. After all these years. I had barely enough energy left to fight back. I felt that all these losses had been in vain. Ananke was right. The gods had betrayed us and I had no more will to fight.

So I fell. And I had been ready to let everything go. But Annabeth had come just in time to catch me, as I had done before for her. But this time we didn't fall together, she had brought me back and in her eyes, I had found a reason to fight.

I remembered that before turning 16, I thought that I didn't deserve to be alive. After all, I was destined to save or cause the fall of the Olympians. However, with Annabeth, I had started a family and I had to be there for them. I couldn't allow myself to give up.

Ananke didn't win yet. We had to reach our children, whatever it took.

"Annabeth, do you know where Luke and Silena are?"

"They are somewhere in the crowd if what Ananke showed me is true."

She seemed even more determined now than ever. Now that she was by my side, I felt my force coming back slowly. Together, we formed the best team and we had gone through difficult quests. I looked at Annabeth and I could see that she was thinking fast. I noticed that her arm was bleeding a lot. I ripped off the hem of my shirt and bandaged quickly her wound as she was having an ambrosia square. With pressure, the wound stopped bleeding a bit.

"You're in a crop top, Seaweed Brain," she said in a half-smile.

"If I go down, at least I'll go down with style."

She kissed me. Good luck kisses were now a tradition.

"I have a plan," she said. "Ananke thinks that we're going to attack her to get to our children. We have to play it in defensive mode. She's going to tire herself and we'll find a weak spot to flee and find Luke and Silena."

I agreed. I wasn't known for retreating and this surely would make the goddess uneasy.

Annabeth placed herself back to me and we readied our weapons, ready to counter any attack. Ananke threw at us dogs, ventis, all sorts of monsters that we already had to fight before. Despite my sore arms and Annabeth's wound, we went through every attack.

Ananke was getting more and more impatient. She seemed to be losing her forces.

Suddenly, the goddess lost her patience for good and screamed, her voice bouncing off the walls of the room.

"If you don't want to cooperate, I'll make you!"

As soon as her words left her lips, the walls around us fell in an ear-splitting crash. We could now see the theatre and all the people in attendance. My eyes instantly went to my children, who looked terrified.

Even before we could reach us, Ananke pointed her finger at them. Luke took his sister in his arms.

"If you don't renounce the gods, lightning could fall somewhere you wouldn't want to."

Immediately, I felt anger rising in me. No one could hurt my kids. Even the goddess of the inevitable couldn't think about touching the smallest hair on their heads. I tried to find water particles that could help me to make Ananke feel even a fraction of the pain she was inflicting me right now. I realized that we were surrounded by clouds.

I then raised my arms in the air, making raindrops turn around, which transformed in waves ever stronger. The water was billowing around me and was accumulating in a way for me to be brought up by the streams. The water was giving me back my strength. I was now at the same height as the goddess. Her smile filled me with even stronger hatred. As the water was still rising around me and that I was getting ready to strike, I saw Annabeth's expression change. She looked terrified and she called for me.

"Percy! Stop! You're going to destroy Mount Olympus! That's exactly what she wants!"

Annabeth's words seemed like a distant echo. The water was still unchained around me. I shouted and the water rose over Ananke's head. The storm I had created was destroying the last columns still standing. As the water was about to fall directly on Ananke, Annabeth placed herself between her and me, shaking her arms. Instantly, the tons of water fell to the ground, soaking Annabeth. I fell with her. I hadn't attacked Ananke because I was scared to hurt Annabeth, but the force of the waves had thrown her to the ground. Her image got blurry as if she had difficulty being in different places at the same time.

"Percy, that's her plan! She wants us to destroy Mount Olympus. That's the last thing left for her to do, but she can't do it alone. She cannot destroy what she's linked too, like the other gods. We can't play her game."

I realized how stupid I was. Sometimes, I forgot how powerful I was. I could have destroyed thousands of years of history in an instant. But we still had to find a way to save our children. Annabeth heard a chime. Instantly, she took out the phone that Chiron had given her. She knitted her eyebrows.

"It's morse code... It says 'help, you ok? Not me.' It's Leo."

"We had to save Luke and Silena."

Annabeth nodded. Ananke was still on the ground. I ran to the stands to take my children in my arms. In the meantime, Annabeth ran to the goddess, her sword raised over her head. I noticed that she was already wounded on her foot, which was the exact spot that Annabeth decided to attack. The goddess screamed and vanished.

Annabeth ran to my side and squeezed Luke and Silena in her arms. They were okay. Everything was okay. We heard an explosion and all the walls of the labyrinths fell. Ananke didn't have enough powers left to control effectively the Mist and to show us our worst nightmares.


	56. The Final Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Emma here. before we start, I wanted to share with you a message that Calliope left me in our shared Google Doc in which we write this fic. This was the last chapter she had to write. It made me laugh. Enjoy! Only 2 chapters left!
> 
> -Hi, welcome to my final writing marathon. It is now 12:04 am, and I have to wake up at 7:30 am to do 90 km by bike, my first day of 24 days of biking. And I will try to be coherent. Sorry if this doesn’t make any sense, my life has no sense. This message is for you (Emma lolz), but if you want to put it as an author’s note, feel free. I’m happy that we’ve finished this at last, 5 years later.-
> 
> P.S.: What she wrote wasn’t always coherent, but I still like Calliope

The demigods could, at last, see what was around them. The walls had crumbled in a terrible crash and the pain in their hearts had subsided. All somewhat disoriented, they took a moment to slow down their heartbeats.

Reyna, Thalia, Hazel, Frank, Piper and Jason had met up first and took less time to react than the others. Hazel and Frank ran towards Delilah and Adelaide. The two girls were crouching on the ground, protecting themselves from the attacks that had spontaneously stopped. Hazel helped Delilah to get up and she took her in her arms.

"I’m so relieved that you’re okay! What got into you? Why did you come to help us?" she asked. Delilah dried the tears on her face before trying to reply.

"We thought that you might need some assistance."

Nico and Will had caught up with the group. Both of them were paler than usual. Nico placed his hand on Adelaide’s shoulder, attempting at comforting her.

"I understand. Sometimes we need to prove that we are heroes, for once."

Adelaide smiled feebly, thankful. The son of Hades and the daughter of Hecate had more in common than they suspected.

In the meantime, Jason had rushed towards the group of young demigods. They all were between 14 and 17 years old. They were the lost demigods. Some of them were still wearing their orange or purple shirts. Jason took them one after the other in his arms. The kids, all beaten up, were surprised by this sudden rush of tenderness from a superior. These few young girls and boys had been sent to Europe for quests destined to fail because of the absence of prophecies. They were held hostage for all that time. A young girl with pale eyes and dark tangled hair allowed her traits to show how relieved she was.

"I’m so sorry, we tried everything to save you. I never should have sent you on these pointless quests," Jason apologized. "Where is Arthur?"

A young boy with ginger hair and freckles stepped forward, his eyes on the ground.

"We lost him in Spain. A drakon."

Jason looked desperate, but he straightened up before announcing:

"We will honour him at camp. I swear it upon the River Styx that I will never send again demigods to their almost certain death."

All lowered their heads in a respectful gesture for a moment. An uneasy feeling was settling on the arena. How could Jason promise such a thing? What if… Ananke’s words had hurt everyone and some words were making their way in more than one mind.

All turned to the stands, surrounded by gods who still had an empty gaze. Leo studied the scene. He was holding on to Calypso’s hand. She had a few small cuts, but nothing life-threatening. Ananke didn’t have a lot to say to her, the young woman had been betrayed many times by the gods and hated them deeply already. She didn’t dare to say that if there was a way to destroy the gods without hurting the mortals, then Ananke might be right, after all.

After glancing at the crowd, Leo had a remark to make.

"It looks like the gods didn’t get their powers back. Ananke must still have an influence on them."

The remark had its effect. They all understood that the fight wasn’t over. If Ananke was still controlling the gods, she hadn’t said her last word.

Instinctively, they placed themselves in a half-circle around the young demigods. Killian, Adelaide and Delilah were therefore protected as well as Luke and Silena, who were holding hands. The former heroes readied their weapons.

Instantly, Ananke appeared in a swirl of smoke and dust.

"She’s almost as tall as Polybotes the giant," Percy murmured. "I’d love to crush her nose with a statue."

Without replying, Ananke unleashed her hatred on the demigods. Monsters of all sorts came out of the ground and threw themselves at the heroes. Right away, Percy and Jason created a storm powerful enough to keep all the monsters at a safe distance from the children. All the other demigods were fighting desperately. Annabeth was trying to push backer her enemies in spite of her broken arm. Frank was firing arrows at random. Nico was summoning spectres to change direction.

Through the fight, Ananke was shouting, almost triumphant. "You will renounce the gods."

The battle seemed lost, in spite of all the efforts of the heroes. No help was coming and the adults had lost hope.

However, through the noise, Delilah had come back to her senses. She caught the attention of Killian and Adelaide. Her friends understood right away. It was now or never the time to prove that they could be heroes, too.

They managed to get through the storm with the help of a little charm by Adelaide. It created a protective bubble against the wind around them. Ananke didn’t seem to notice them, too busy to prove her superiority over the demigods who had already proved themselves. The three teenagers snuck behind the battle, killing a few monsters on the way. Adelaide slit an eagle’s throat as Killian was making a harpy crazy by whispering a few simple words. Delilah made karpois run away by making one of them explode.

"What do we do now?" cried Adelaide, now arrived behind the battle. No one had still noticed them.

I think that "Ananke is working herself out, even if she’s not showing it," Delilah replied. "We could take the element of surprise to our advantage and flee. Adelaide, do you know a trick to amplify a voice? Killian could make her fall asleep for a few seconds if he speaks loud enough. I take care of the rest."

Her two friends accepted. Adelaide said a sentence in Latin and Killian’s voice rose above the noise of the battle.

"Ananke, you are falling asleep right now."

The goddess, towering and majestic, but mostly caught off guard, started to rock back and forth. 

"You are incredibly tired to fight. You want all this to be over. Go to sleep," Killian continued.

The goddess fell on the ground, making the army of monsters disappear with her. The effect was however short-lived. Ananke opened her eyes almost at the same moment that she closed them. Before she could get back up, Delilah raised her arms and tall stems imprisoned the goddess. Still drowsy, but visibly enraged, she started to tug on her bonds. Before Ananke could get through her prison, Annabeth sprang into action.

"It’s time to leave!"

No one asked questions. All ran towards the elevator of the Empire State Building. Annabeth and Percy had taken their children in their arms. The other demigods who were lost were following. They all got into the elevator. Leo had found a way to program it to double its size.

The descent was almost silent. Calypso broke the silence first.

"Am I the only one who was tempted by Ananke?"

They all looked at each other but remained silent. The elevator was playing Staying Alive. Ironic. Nico spoke.

"Maybe we mourned and learned to live with our demons, but why do young people have to live through this, too?" In his eyes, all could read the pain of fifteen years of suffering.

"When something’s wrong and we offer us the solution on a silver plate, why do we have to say no to it?" asked Hazel.

"It’s true, the gods made us suffer," Annabeth said. Her glance went from Percy to her children.

Adelaide asked: "The demigods, we were always set aside. The quests, the danger, it allowed us to feel at our place in the world, to feel special. We are heroes."

"We don’t need gods to be special. There are many other battles to fight out there in order to make our world a better place," Percy replied, smiling at her.

"Then we have to destroy them," Jason decided, somewhat worried. Piper took his hand and squeezed it.

"Who?" Will asked.

"We have to destroy Olympus. Send all our energy up there. And renounce the gods. If we think about all the reasons that pushed us to take this decision, we should accomplish Ananke’s plan," Annabeth said, her face darkening. "We have to assume our choices. The world will never be the same.

The elevator doors opened. The demigods found themselves to be in the hall of the Empire State Building. Exiting the building, they looked up at the 600th floor, invisible. Glancing one last time at the group, they all knew that they had come up with a consensus. At the same time, Jason, Percy, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Calypso, Will, Nico, Reyna, Thalia, Killian, Adelaide, and Delilah threw their rage towards the sky.

Percy thought about the manipulation he had suffered.

Jason thought about the weight he had always felt on his shoulders.

Piper thought about her father and smiled, thinking that she would never have to lie to him anymore.

Hazel thought about the injustices that were created by the gods.

Frank thought about his life, no longer depending on a piece of wood.

Leo thought about the cruelty of the gods who had been after him all his life

Calypso thought about her curse and about her 3000 years spent alone.

Will thought about the demigods who wouldn’t be dead in vain, after all.

Nico thought about all the souls resting at last.

Reyna thought about the young demigods who could at last thrive.

Thalia thought about the fact that she would no longer be burdened by immortality.

Adelaide thought about her friends with whom she could now feel at home.

Killian thought about the young people like Lewis who no longer had to suffer the gods’ anger.

Delilah thought about having a normal life at last.

Annabeth thought about the new world that they were going to build together.

The sky lit up in thousands of colours and all was over.

\---

\- That’s all folks. It’s 1:34 am and I feel like I’m going to regret this tomorrow morning. Good night xxx - (With love, from Calliope)


	57. Epilogue

Five years after the death of all the gods, a lot had changed, but most people hadn't noticed. Mortals around the globe continued to worship a divinity and continued to find solace in them. Only the high ranking religious officers had noticed that something had changed. However, they didn't want to say anything, in fear of alerting and scaring the world for nothing. As the years passed, people started to get used to this new normal and got along with their lives as usual.

In many different religious cultures, immortal creatures roam the Earth. After the gods died, the minor divinities and deities started to grow old and match their years with a normal human life spawn. Some of them, having been granted immortality in their old age, died almost right away, all of natural causes. As for the others, who were younger in human appearance, started to change as it is normal when the years pass.

Former demigods started to build communities around the existing camps. New Rome was now a dynamic little city, with parks, libraries, hospitals, restaurants and cultural hot spots. The city was buzzing with activity. Some young mortals moved in New Rome, getting quickly along with hundreds of young, energetic people. New Rome became the world's city with the lowest inhabitant's average age.

Tonight was special because it was the anniversary of the final battle on Mount Olympus. Percy and Annabeth had invited their closest friends in one of New Rome's largest parks for an evening picnic. When they arrived, they set their blanket on the ground. Their kids were being babysat by Sally and Paul. Sally as still waking up at night, dreaming about the time when her grandchildren were abducted. Her son and daughter-in-law never blamed her, on the contrary, they even thanked her every time they saw her for her bravery.

Guests started to join in. There was Nico and Will, Frank and Hazel, Leo and Calypso, Jason and Piper, Thalia, Reyna, and Rachel. They all took out their own blankets and set up in a big circle. It was summer, so even if the sun was starting to go down, it was not cold. Everyone started to share food and drinks, laughing.

"Look, is that Chiron?" asked Thalia, pointing to the path.

It was. Since the gods had vanished, Chiron had been stuck in his wheelchair. He had also visibly aged. He was on the path, but he couldn't get on the grass to join the party without help. So Thalia got up and ran to him to push him to the circle. Thalia had also aged. She was now a young adult. She would eternally look several years younger than her brother Jason, even if she was the elder, but that was just something to get used to.

"Hi, guys," said a shy voice. It was Adelaide. In one hand she was holding a picnic basket. On the other, she was grasping Delilah's hand.

The whole circle cheered. After the battle, the girls went back home to Europe to settle some things. Percy and Annabeth had reached out to them, inviting them to join for the five-year reunion. Delilah, who had moved in with Adelaide's family, had accepted right away. Adelaide was more reluctant, but finally, decide to go with Delilah.

"I'm sorry we're late, we got lost from the hotel to here," Delilah apologized.

"And by that, she means that we took the long way here. It is truly a magnificent place to live in!"

The two girls took their place in the circle and opened their basket, adding what they had brought for the picnic.

"What about James and Killian?" Nico asked.

"James..." Adelaide sighed. "We don't know where he is. But I understand if he doesn't want to have contacts with us. He lived traumatic things."

All nodded. They were a bit disappointed, but they could understand very well and they couldn't hold it against James.

"But Killian is doing great!" Adelaide continued. "He is studying to become a therapist. He wants to work with children. He wanted very much to be here today, but he has a lot of work. He has to prepare for next year's exams. But he says hi!"

"So how are you guys?" asked Rachel. She looked radiant. "I'm happy to announce that my exhibition is opening next week at the New Rome Museum of Fine Arts! it's very small, only a few paintings, but I've worked so hard on them!"

"Congratulations, Rachel!" said Piper. "Well, as you know, I'm in working in Reyna's office. We are already preparing the campaign for her reelection as mayor of New Rome. But what you may not know is that she is running unopposed..."

"Unopposed yet," Reyna muttered under her breath, blushing." No one could hear her remark, though, as they all started to cheer and congratulate Reyna."

"Percy landed a job as a guest speaker at the University of British-Columbia next year," said Annabeth, beaming proudly at Percy. "The family is moving to Vancouver for a year. I'm going to sneak in his lectures about the sea."

"That, or you could build them a new open-air theatre, as you did here in New Rome. Or even take it easy for a year," Percy added.

It was true. Since Annabeth had come back from Mount Olympus, she hadn't stopped working. In New Rome, she had worked on a new wing dedicated to children at the local hospital, where Will was working. Then, she had taken out old blueprints she had designed and drew them over to build a wonderful and modern open-air theatre. During the summer, concerts, plays, and even lectures were given there. It had become a favourite landmark in the city.

"Hazel, Frank, how are your babies?" Jason chimed in.

"The twins are wonderful," Frank said, proudly. "And they don't fight too much... yet."

"They are starting to walk!" Hazel exclaimed.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and showed everyone a video of her baby boy and baby girl hoisting themselves up from the side of a couch. They quickly fell down seating, looked lost for a split second, then burst out laughing and attempted to stand again. All the guests laughed in delight.

"I can't wait to go back to work," Hazel said. "Maternity leave is great, I had a fantastic time with my babies, but it also gave me the time to think about what I want to do next. We have done great things to make this city the more inclusive as possible, but there is still work to do. There is always a way to do better."

The rest of the night was calm and joyful. It was nice to relax and enjoy life. The demigods were still getting used to that. They were getting used to living normal lives, to leave the house in the morning and be certain to come back at night and sleep in their own bed. The sun came down and the stars turned on in the sky. The night was clear and it was easy to discern different constellations. The guests laid on their backs and looked at the stars.

Up above, the Moon was smiling down on the Earth. It was all there was. It was a frozen rock, a satellite to this planet, giving out light during the night and regulating the tied. It was all there was. A planet floating into the void, ruled by laws of physics, no longer by the will of the gods. The universe was dark, cold, scary and unknown. But at least now there was a certainty: if they were to die tonight, it wouldn't be because of the gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Five years later, we finally put the final point to this fic. It was a wild ride, but it was worth it. Thank you so much for your support. We hope that you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more stories in the future. 
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> -Emma and Calliope


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